Explores the Rabelais/ Crowley axiom of "do what thou wilt" through an eclectic language of tone clusters and colors both inside the piano and at the keyboard.  

Subtitled "Images and Impressions for Piano" this expansive suite embraces a variety of styles and forms including études, preludes, color studies, seascapes, moonscapes and nocturnes. A full concert in itself, this is one of Zorn's longest compositions and is a major work for solo piano. 

A mysterious pianissimo work for solo piano dedicated to the Greek lyric poet Nossis. 

A virtuoso tour-de-force for solo cello inspired by the mystic phrase laid out in the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus: "That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing." 

A bizarre improvisational piece for solo cello incorporating a variety of extended techniques ranging from improvisational noise to performing with two bows, one in each hand. Inspired by the "action painting" techniques of Jackson Pollock. 

A magical realist fantasia on one note dedicated to Jorge Luis Borges. 

Written for violinist Jennifer Koh after getting permission from Maestro Ligeti himself, this is a very intense cadenza to one of the 20th century's great concertos. 

The controversial 18th century Italian occultist is evoked in this intense miniature for solo viola. The violist uses 2 bows to weave a swirling spell of 4-string tremolos. May also be performed by two violists. 

Ives, Tatum, Chopin, Messiaen, Monk, Beethoven, Scriabin, Floyd Kramer, Boulez, Nancarrow, cocktail piano...... Jumping moods and styles from bar to bar, this is a favorite of many young modern music virtuosos. Next to Cobra, my most oft-performed composition. 

A magic ritual for solo violin with optional improvised percussion. Can be performed with a drum set player or as a solo piece. In four movements. 

A sonic ritual for four bass drums. Sombre and hypnotic. 

Extracted from the game piece Sebastopol, this brief piano miniature makes for a wonderful encore showpiece. 

A suite of five short pieces for solo piano, each a private tribute to a different musical master. Each movement is between 2 and 3 minutes in duration and each explores a different musical language. 1. Speculum 2. Penumbra 3. Stretta 4. Occultation 5. Arborescence 

The connection of the violin to Satanism has been well documented, and Paganini's supposed pact with the devil inspires in part this set of eight variations/ incantations for contacting demonic spirits. 

A very challenging and very difficult polyrhythmic piece for 13 tuned drums. Virtuoso voodoo. 

A wild satanic composition for solo organ using hypnotic ostinatos, sand bags and wooden boards to invoke the left hand path of the infamous Huysmans novel.  

A highly virtuosic evocation of the mediaeval magician Merlin for solo trumpet, juxtaposing rigorous notated passages with extended sonic explorations and elements of improvisation.  

A bravura portrait of Vaslav Nijinsky for solo piano. Propelled by a dramatic depiction of graceful and exhilarating dance moves, it is filled with leaps, fouettés, arabesques, pirouettes, cabrioles, pointe work, grand jetés, plies, a fleeting canon and a "petit saut" idée fixe which appears in no less than 12 transpositions throughout the work.  

A fast moving and virtuosic solo piece inspired by the mystic philosophy of 18th century German Romantic poet Novalis. 

A suite for solo violin inspired by Bach and haunted by the ghost of Stravinsky's Firebird. Lyrical, soulful, and mysterious, it is divided into four traditional movements: Prelude-Allemande / Pavane / Courante / Air.  

Dedicated to Elliott Carter and presented to him as a birthday gift, Passagen is a virtuosic tour de force for solo violin. 

An early exploration of genre busting in a cartoon format. 

35 etudes for solo guitar in idiosyncratic notation that can be played as written, or used as jumping off points for improvisation. 

A mystic dance for bass marimba. Originally composed for the ensemble The Gnostic Trio and released on the CD The Mysteries. 

For madmen only! Price of admission: your mind. A dynamic and colorful virtuoso showpiece for solo clarinet.  

Novalis (2013) A Prayer for Nossis (2014) Nijinsky (2014) Three virtuoso compositions for piano collected into a book of Three Preludes.  

Nostalgia, romance and a touch of surrealism filter through a set of very private obsessions. Dedicated to artist Joseph Cornell.