Sala: Bargemusic, Nueva York

Before diving into a performance of John Cage’s Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, New York pianist Marc Peloquin explained a bit of the background behind the sounds we were about to hear. As the story goes, John Cage was commissioned to write a dance piece in 1938, and was accustomed to working with different combinations of percussion instruments for these sorts of works.

The “Masterworks Series” at Bargemusic, featuring such diverse composers as Bach, Stephen Foster, Tan Dun and Gunther Schuller, gave audiences a welcome break from the oppressive New York humidity Sunday afternoon.