‘Surface Image,’ by Tristan Perich, at Roulette Reviewed

From NYTimes.com:

So many wires and power cords were tangled on the stage at Roulette on Tuesday evening that the piano appeared to be nestled in a giant serpent’s nest. Forty loudspeakers, 20 on each side of the stage, and each wired to hand-built electronics, framed the instrument. The elaborate electronic setup was in place for a new piece by Tristan Perich, composed for the pianist Vicky Chow, a new-music specialist and member of the Bang on a Can All-Stars. In a preconcert discussion Mr. Perich said he had initially decided to call the work “Density of Air,” planning to write a “delicate, ephemeral piece.” But as the piece took shape with Ms. Chow, he renamed it “Surface Image.”