Ceci n’est pas un piano (2002) was commissioned by pianist Jennifer Hymer to whom it is dedicated. It has long been my feeling that musical performance is a deeply generous gift, drawing as it does on the performer’s whole body, history and spirit. With Ceci… I want to acknowledge that, asking Xenia to talk about her hands and about pianos she owns and loves, then weaving her recorded thoughts and memories into the sonic flow, eventually directly through the piano’s resonance, merging her voice with her instrument.

Annea Lockwood