Over the course of 2021, MetLiveArts commissioned composer Matthew Evan Taylor for twelve “Postcards to The Met,” small sparks of collaborative inspiration that he developed remotely with members of the orchestral Metropolis Ensemble and South Asian jazz collective RAJAS. These bite-sized pieces of music, which explored African-American, South Asian, and Western European musical practices, coalesced into “Life Returns,” a monumental evening-length work that melds free improvisation and through composition to celebrate resilience and triumph in the face of despair.

Matthew Evan Taylor, composer and winds
Metropolis Ensemble (Andrew Cyr, conductor and artistic director)
RAJAS (Rajna Swaminathan, founder and mrudangam)

 
Life Returns premiered in March 2022 on The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium's stage, part of MetLiveArts' first live season after the lockdown — and now, it makes its digital debut! For more information and a full list of artists, view the concert program.

Life Returns was commissioned by MetLiveArts and Metropolis Ensemble in collaboration with RAJAS

This program is made possible by the Adrienne Arsht Fund for Resilience through Art and the New York State Council on the Arts
 
Recorded at the World Premiere on Thursday, March 24, 2022 in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium

Piano by Steinway & Sons

Cover Image: Matthew Evan Taylor, Life Returns. Art by Juniper Creative LLC