Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood introduced new music on the latest edition of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, reports Billboard.
However, John couldn’t physically present for the recording. The Ensemble Signal music group performed two of his compositions, “Three Miniatures from Water” and “88 (No. 1)”, on violin, piano, cello, and more.
Inspired by French composer Olivier Messiaen, “Three Miniatures from Water” was originally written in 2018, but it was performed live for the first tone at the NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert.
According to Greenwood, it was “originally a sketch for an Australian Chamber Orchestra commission in 2014.”
“I thought it’d be easier to approach writing for full orchestra by starting with a piano miniature and scaling it up. In fact, only some of the material made it to the final commission, and I always felt the original three miniatures hung together well enough as its own piece of music,” he stated.
“88 (No. 1)”, the work also nods to Messiaen’s material before “becoming a celebration of the mechanical nature of the piano.”
Greenwood also praised NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series for being able to capture the “rawness” of artistes.
The video is available of the official YouTube channel of NPR music.
Greenwood is expected to debut a new composition, “Horror vacui,” in September as part of this year’s BBC Proms series.
Earlier this year, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of Radiohead.
