Untwisted

At one point during a recent performance of Simon Steen-Andersen’s Piano Concerto in Berlin, percussion sounds seemed to rise and concentrate near the ceiling of the concert hall, like hot air, and it sounded like the Pierre Boulez Saal might come crashing down. I met the Danish composer several weeks later at his apartment, a short walk away from the Berlin Philharmonic. His studio space was taken up with cellos, keyboards, dictionaries, and Legos. On his computer monitor were black and white videos of old orchestras performing.