Myra Melford‘s Fire and Water Quintet

Fire and Water is inspired by Melford’s long-standing engagement with the iconoclastic work of the late visual artist Cy Twombly. The band’s name pays tribute to Twombly’s series For the Love of Fire and Water, in which he combined his characteristic energetic scribbles with scrawled calligraphic texts. Melford feels an affinity between her own work and Twombly’s “curiosity and playfulness, as well as his unbridled energy that seems to leap right off the page.” This spirit animates the provocative music she has composed for Fire and Water. The group first came together in June 2019 for a sold-out performance at New York’s The Stone, where, as the pianist recalls, “the chemistry was palpable from the very first note. Ever since, I’ve wanted to bring this lineup back together.”