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The Burchfield Penney Art Center at Buffalo State will present The Liaisons Project, a landmark commissioning and concert project conceived by concert pianist Anthony de Mare, for two performances Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11, at 8:00 p.m.

The project invites 36 of the world's foremost contemporary composers to "re-imagine" a song by legendary musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim. The result is a brand-new world-class piano repertory (Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano) that reveals Sondheim’s influence across multiple genres and generations. Composers hail from seven countries, range in age from 32 to 76, and span the worlds of classical, pop, jazz, opera, musical theater, and film.

Since 2011, de Mare has been touring iterations of Liaisons across the country to widespread critical and popular acclaim. The first 32 pieces received their New York City premieres over the span of two sold-out concerts at Symphony Space in April 2012 and March 2013, receiving rave reviews from Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times and others. Sondheim also gave a live interview at each concert.

At its essence, Liaisons is an homage, but unlike any other Sondheim tribute to date, its focus is exclusively on the music. The project leaves no doubt that, aside from his genius as a lyricist, Stephen Sondheim is one of the century's greatest and most influential composers.

Over the past two years, Liaisons programs have played to sold-out crowds at concert halls and universities in major cities from Chicago and San Francisco to Portland, Kansas City, Fort Saskatchwan, and Fort Worth. Performed exclusively by de Mare through 2016, individual pieces can be combined to form an infinite variety of concert, recital, and residency programs. Liaisons will ultimately be released as a 3-CD recording, currently in process, as well as a published collection.

For those new to Sondheim’s work, Liaisons offers a delightful introduction; for those already familiar, the context of a concert hall inspires new insights and appreciations.

Tickets are $15 for Burchfield Penney members and students, and $25 for "not yet" members. Call ext. 6011 or visit www.burchfieldpenney.org for tickets and information. RSVP on Facebook.

The program at the Burchfield Penney is as follows (all works based on material by Stephen Sondheim):

Nico Muhly: "Color and Light" (2012) (Sunday in the Park with George)

Fred Hersch: "No One Is Alone" (2010) (Into the Woods)

Nils Vigeland: "Merrily We Roll Along" (2011) ("Merrily We Roll Along")

Duncan Sheik: "Johanna in Space" (2014) ("Johanna," Sweeney Todd)

Wynton Marsalis: "That Old Piano Roll" (2014) (Follies)

Eric Rockwell: "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" (2010/2014) (Company)

Bernadette Speach: "In and Out of Love" ("Liaisons" and "Send in the Clowns," A Little Night Music)

Steve Reich: "Finishing the Hat: Two Pianos" (2010) (Sunday in the Park with George)

INTERMISSION

Film Interlude: On-stage interview with Stephen Sondheim, conducted by Mark Eden Horowitz at Liaisons’ NYC premiere (Symphony Space April 2012)

Andy Akiho: "Into the Woods" (2013) (Into the Woods)

Thomas Newman: "Not While I’m Around" (2012) ("Not While I’m Around," Sweeney Todd)

Ricardo Lorenz: "The Worst [Empanadas] in London" (2011, rev. 2014) ("The Worst Pies in London" and "A Little Priest," Sweeney Todd)

Paul Moravec: "I Think about You" (2010) ("Losing My Mind," Follies)

Jake Heggie: "I’m Excited. No You’re Not" (2010) ("A Weekend in the Country," A Little Night Music)