Bang on a Can

"Obsession and the three minute single" is about accessibility and virtuosity, and where they might meet musically. The score bears an epigram - "Sharon, where were you when the Beatles arrived?" The question really forgets the disappointing fact (for me anyway) that as long as "corporate rock" exists, much less music will survive. That's my obsession. Musically, I'm obsessed with maintaining virtuosity (a form of integrity) while still keeping the music accessible, at least to a certain extent. I don't want it to become terminally experimental.

I'm also working on my second opera about the painter Paul Gauguin. He loved to play guitar! This is one of the reasons why the guitar part features in Obsession. Eventually it will be incorporated into the opera, in a textless scene with dance. --Michael Smetanin