Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Classical Music

Commissioned in 2009 to celebrate the restoration of Trinity Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina, John Fitz Rogers's Magna Mysteria is a seven-movement, 45-minute work for soprano, chorus and children's chorus, and chamber orchestra that delves into "great mysteries" (magna mysteria). Weaving together Latin biblical texts and poetic verse from the sixth-century philosopher Boethius, the composition explores ideas of home and the seeking of home, the elevation of home to a metaphorical or spiritual realm, and the nature of time. Magna Mysteria is at once complex yet accessible, rooted in tradition (from Brahms and Faure to Britten and Stravinsky) yet wholly contemporary. This encore performance recorded in 2014 features soprano Martha Guth, first prize winner at the 2007 Wigmore Hall Int'l Song Competition, as well as the combined adult and children's choirs of Trinity Cathedral, under the direction of conductor and choirmaster Jared Johnson.

In February of 2012, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Frank Wilczek posted an article proposing the existence of “time crystals,” perpetually moving structures that repeat periodically in the fourth dimension. In “Time Crystals,” we explore perpetual motion, pattern, crystalline structures and quantum resonances in musical form. Using triangles, cymbals, drums, vibraphone, wooden planks, cardboard box, and prepared piano, we strive to create a kaleidoscopic effect, a balance of musical structure and sound exploration.

Environmental sound artist, composer, author (on Harry Partch), filmmaker, designer, and sculptor Philip Blackburn’s music has been called trippy, hallucinatory, intense and riveting. Verging on transcendental, Music of Shadows contains three substantial works that are explorations of ways of listening as much as they are music in the usual sense. Blackburn’s sound world maps the inner ear to the outer world in stunningly imaginative and time-defying ways, leaving impressions and shadows in its wake.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Appearances can be deceiving. Building a libretto from texts ranging from Adrienne Rich and Richard Feynman to the Magnificat, Lewis Spratlan offers a re-examination of our settled views and the discovery entailed in rethinking them from a wider perspective in Vespers Cantata: Hesperus Is Phosphorus, an hour-long, nine-movement work for mixed chorus and chamber ensemble performed here by Philadelphia's The Crossing (conducted by Donald Nally) and Network for New Music. "... a compositional tour de force, absorbing... great craftsmanship... creative fearlessness." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Classical Music

Documerica originally a multimedia concert presentation that premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2013, powerfully presented by the string quartet ETHEL and taking the same name as the 1972-77 Documerica project, in which the then newly formed Environmental Protection Agency asked 70 freelance photographers to travel the U.S. with the edict to capture their impressions of Americans interacting with their environments. These eight compositions, both original and commissioned by ETHEL provided the musical annotation to the backdrop of imagery and here stand alone brilliantly in this exuberant and visceral collection that indeed suggests the sprawl of this America with composers including Mary Ellen Childs, Grammy Award winning jazz drummer Ulysses Owens, Jr., Chickasaw Nation's Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate and James Kimo Williams contributing works that filtered through ETHEL's inclusive ethos become a post modern 21st century classic.

“Eleven Short Stories” is a set of nearly a dozen atmospheric vignettes for prepared piano, paying homage to some of Erdem Helvacioglu’s favorite film directors: Kim Ki-Duk, David Lynch, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Theodoros Angelopoulos, Jane Campion, Anthony Minghella, Ang Lee, Atom Egoyan, Darren Aronofsky, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Steven Soderberg. Erdem Helvacioglu (b.1975) is one of the most renowned contemporary composers of his generation in Turkey. His music has been called “revolutionary,” “groundbreaking,” “emotionally evocative soundscapes with remarkable beauty,” “uncommonly deep, intelligent, and beautiful cinematic compositions”, “luscious and unique,” and “completely arresting and disarmingly beautiful.” Erdem has received awards from the Luigi Russolo, MUSICA NOVA, Insulae Electronicae Electroacoustic Music Competitions. He has been commissioned by numerous entities, from the 2006 World Soccer Championship to the Bang on a Can-All Stars. He won the “Best Original Soundtrack” award in the 2006 Mostramundo Film Festival, and his film scores have been heard at Cannes, Sarajevo, Locarno, Seoul, Sao Paulo, and Sydney film festivals.

Classical Music

'THE Hub, with a growing reputation as undiscovered gems, are rapidly developing a dedicated cult following.' BBC Radio 3 THE Hub is a band whose appetite for far flung sounds often defies categorization and whose members, Sean Noonan, Tim Dahl, Dan Magay play with the conviction and ferocity of men on a mission. A look at their recent European tour schedule indicates that they could be on the road as often as AC/DC. After initially shocking audiences with their eclectic array of original compositions, THE Hub have earned a loyal fan base worldwide. Hub fans have even been known to travel up to six hours to see them perform. So who is THE Hub? 'Maniacally exhilarating, gripping in it's precision and energy, a real breath of fresh air.' John Fordham - The Guardian (U.K) THE Hub is creating a new movement in jazz joining diverse music listeners from the hard core/metal, punk, new music, and electronic music scenes. Their latest album release 'Trucker' is another existential leap that is described as, 'Clearly a totally new form of music with an aggressive heavy metal touch belied by a jazz sensibility and control.' Jeremy Hurewitz - Prague Post 'Trucker' comes straight out of the Brooklyn underground music scene where they create a sonic amalgam of hip-hop, hardcore, punk, funk, and freeform jazz improvisation. All of these modes lead to music with originality . 'Trucker' is now available in record stores worldwide providing an irresistible force for progressive music listeners everywhere.