I first discovered Margaret Leng Tan‘s unique musical style in a compilation of dark classical music. Mixed in with Danse Macabre and Night on Bald Mountain was her recording of Philip Glass’s Mordern Love Waltz, included in the mix because it was performed on two toy pianos. Margaret bought her first toy piano in 1993 (for $45 dollars!) after meeting and working with avant-garde composer John Cage in the 1980s. She first performed on the toy piano at Lincoln Center in 1993, recorded her album The Art of the Piano in 1997, eventually performing at Carnegie Hall.
Below she rehearsing with The Present Music Ensemble, performing Nightmare Rag. Nightmare Rag was written and arranged for two pianos for her by Toby Twining, another experimental musician.
