George Crumb - Makrokosmos led by Rolf Hind

Rolf Hind is leading the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's keyboard department in a performance of George Crumb's Makrokosmos on Wednesday 25 November, at the RCS in Glasgow city centre. It's a particular kind of evening: a composer and pianist at the helm, working with the students from his own department to bring a major piece of 20th-century piano music to the stage.

The music is Makrokosmos, one of the most celebrated works by the American composer George Crumb. It's part of a vast and enigmatic cycle he wrote for the piano, and this performance focuses on Makrokosmos I and II. If you're not familiar with Crumb, he's known for music that's as much about texture and atmosphere as it is about melody — the kind of writing that asks a lot of the performer and rewards a bit of patience from the listener. Hearing it played by a group of keyboardists rather than a single soloist changes the dynamic, and having Hind leading the department adds a layer of connection to the way the music is taught and played within the RCS.

It's a good chance to catch a piece of Crumb's output that doesn't always make it onto the concert stage, and to see the RCS keyboard department in action under Hind's direction. The performance runs for an hour, starting at 18:00, so it's an early one that leaves you with the rest of your evening still ahead of you. Tickets are £5 to £13, and the venue is at 100 Renfrew Street, right in the city centre.