“The Blue Hour”, by A Far Cry
A Far Cry releases “The Blue Hour”, a song cycle composed by five of today’s leading American female composers. Bostonian chamber orchestra A Far Cry was, seven years ago, the driving force behind The Blue Hour, a 75-minute work premiered live on 3 November 2017 at the Historic Sixth &…
“The Street: Nico Muhly & Alice Goodman”, by Parker Ramsay
American harpist Parker Ramsay releases “The Street”, Nico Muhly’s Stations of the Cross, world premiere last Easter Saturday. American harpist Parker Ramsay (Nashville, 1991) has made a name for himself by combining performances of classical and contemporary music. In 2020 he released a recording of his harp transcription of J….
“the so-called laws of nature”, by Frames Percussion
The Spanish Neu Records label released this summer Frames Percussion’s version of David Lang’s “the so-called laws of nature”. On 19 October 2002, the so-called laws of nature, a request made by Sõ Percussion to composer David Lang, premiered at the Miller Theatre in New York. Lang, one of the…
“Philip Glass: Études for Solo Piano, Book 1”, by Vicky Chow
Pianist Vicky Chow, member of the Bang On A Can All-Stars ensemble, publishes “Philip Glass: Études for Solo Piano, Book 1” in Cantaloupe. As part of the various tributes of all kinds that are taking place throughout 2022, on the occasion of the eighty-fifth birthday of the American composer Philip…
“Entonado Inc” by Arín Dodó
Arín Dodó presents “Entonado Inc”. Recordings made between 1997 and 2004. Piece #4 is recorded on a 4-track tape recorder. The rest of the pieces were recorded on a digital 8-track portastudio. Entonado Inc *** Credits: Logarritmo: lyrics on #2 and #5. Ignacio Casas: lyrics on #6 MMC: composition on…
“Runner / Music for Ensemble and Orchestra”, by Steve Reich
Nonesuch publishes two pieces by Steve Reich from the second half of the last decade, “Runner” and “Music for Ensemble and Orchestra”. Still fresh from the release of Reich / Richter, Steve Reich today releases on Nonesuch Records the first recordings of Runner and Music for Ensemble and Orchestra, two…
Caroline Shaw / Attacca Quartet: “Evergreen”
Nonesuch releases “Evergreen”, the second album of works by Caroline Shaw of the New Yorker Attacca Quartet. Evergreen is the second project to unite composer Caroline Shaw with the Attacca Quartet. The previous, Orange, released in 2019, won the Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance the following year, and…
“Delusion of the Fury”, by Harry Partch, on Wergo
Wergo releases, more than fifty years later, a new version of Harry Partch’s key work “Delusion of the Fury”. The Californian Harry Partch (Oakland, 1901-San Diego, 1974) was one of the foremost composers to make systematic use of the microtonal scale. In addition to composing for instruments he invented (and…
Chacon / Nakatani / Santistevan LP release at San Miguel Chapel
Chacon/Nakatani/Santistevan LP release at San Miguel Chapel, in Santa Fe, NM. Raven Chacon, the Diné composer who won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for music for his composition Voiceless Mass, has just released a new album, Inhale/Exhale, on Other Minds Records in early August. According to the label’s website, it is…
Paul Mealor’s “Symphony No. 1 ‘Passiontide'”, released
The US label Exultate releases the “First Symphony ‘Passiontide’” by the Welsh composer Paul Mealor, imbued with the mystical minimalism of Pärt and Górecki. Welsh composer Paul Mealor (St. Asaph, Denbighshire, 1975) has just released the record of his Symphony No. 1 “Passiontide” on the US label Exultate. Mealor became…
Mikel Urquiza releases his first album, “Cherche titre”
American label Odradek releases “Cherche titre”, the first album by Spanish composer Mikel Urquiza. It is very enlightening that the libretto of Cherche titre, the first album by Basque composer Mikel Urquiza (Bilbao, 1988), is written in English, German and French. It suggests that the interest in Spain (and Latin…
“Houses of the Wind”, by John Luther Adams
The American composer John Luther Adams releases “Houses of the Wind”, an album created from field recordings made with an aeolian harp. The music of John Luther Adams (Meridian, Mississippi, 1953) is often inspired by nature. The composer studied percussion and composition at the California Institute of the Arts, known…