This video captures a performance by Conrad Tao of his work, iridescence, for piano and iPad.

The composition, from 18-year-old American pianist/composer Tao’s debut album Voyages, features the Reactable Mobile app on his Apple iPad. In the piece, Reactable is used for both synth lines and real-time processing of his piano playing, via the iPad microphone.

The work manages to bridge the electroacoustic tradition of classical electronic music and the genre-making ambient work of Brian Eno and Harold Budd. It also is a great demonstration of the possibilities of inexpensive music apps, in creative hands.

Most of all, though, Tao’s work is interesting as a performance, which is too rare in both electroacoustic and ambient music.

Here’s some background on the composition: Continue reading →