Commissioned by the Japan Society in New York and the Tokyo Bunka Kaikan center in Japan, David Lang's note to a friend is inspired by the famous letter written by short story author Ryunosuke Akutagawa to a fellow writer, announcing his intention to take his own life. Conceived as a chamber opera for solo vocalist and string quartet, the work is also the perfect vehicle for singer Theo Blackmann, who brings a profound emotional weight to his performance, in collaboration with the inimitable Attacca string quartet. Content warning: This recording contains references to suicide and depression, which some listeners may find distressing. If you need suicide- or mental health-related crisis support, or are worried about someone else, please call or text 988 or visit the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline's chat to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

Over the course of the last 15 years, David Lang and The Crossing, the Grammy-winning chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally, have crafted a body of work that stands apart from the rest for it's profound spiritual connection to our shared sense of humanity-through our stories, our myths, our beliefs, and our dreams. The sense of senses is a milestone that celebrates this connection, across time and space, to deliver a message that music can be a benevolent force for change if we only take the time to listen. "This album is a collection of works that capture the intimate side of The Crossing's relationship with David Lang," Nally explains. "Only two were written for us, yet the others reflect a shared world view, a common idea about sound and community, and a collective focus on our reason for singing. David's thoroughly considered thoughts on 'why we do this' have influenced The Crossing's perpetually reexamined thoughts on that question: how to communicate deep feelings, absent of ego."

Like his Pulitzer-winning work the little match girl passion, David Lang's 'poor hymnal' tries to get to the core of what a religious experience can be. "What I love about hymnals," the composer writes in his liner notes to the CD, "is that they're a catalog of things a community of worshippers can agree on - a catalog that can be sung. And what the worshippers are singing about matters." 'poor hymnal' is a concert-length work written for the multiple GRAMMY Award-winning chamber choir The Crossing, conducted by Donald Nally. Lang constructed the text by stitching together lines, phrases and poignant utterances from sources as varied as the Old Testament, Mahatma Gandhi and Tolstoy - to name just a few. As Lang explains: "This piece is trying to say: The reason we are coming together is to remember how important we are to each other, and to remember how important it is that we take care of each other."

This dance film is directed and choreographed by Edouard Lock and performed by the La La La Human Steps dance company to music by David Lang. Lock uses intricate choreography for both camera and dancers, creating amazing and constantly shifting points.

Katia Labèque/Marielle Labèque/David Chalmin/Bryce Dessner -"Sonic Wires"

Founded in 2018, the Dream House Quartet is bringing classical and contemporary music into completely new forms as a matter of course. The members draw on decades of expertise: the two piano sisters, Katia and Marielle Labèque, are joined by Bryce Dessner (Grammy-winning guitarist, composer and founding member of The National), and composer, musician and producer David Chalmin. Together they perform radical commissions from visionary composers and key contemporary works from the past half century.

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If there's a place to be called "pictorial" in a special way, then we should think of Untermhaus, a small settlement below Osterstein Castle in Gera, Eastern Thuringia. Small in dimensions, houses and old workshops are clustered between the river Weisse Elster and the mountains. They look like forgotten contemporary witnesses because their reference point, the old castle above them, is ruined. The so-called Mohrenplatz is the starting point of the steep ascent to the castle, a kind of entrance for the castle and still today keeping the charm of ancient times. At this place, we find one of the oldest and most beautiful churches of today's Gera: St. Mary's, and the birthplace of Otto Dix, one of the 20th century's most famous painters, is neighboring, too. The church must have been a source of impression for Dix, who spent his childhood there in Untermhaus: strong walls, a high wooden arch, and it's most special thing, the multi-colored winged altar dating from medieval times. The Gera-based ensemble diX commissioned a cantata on this altar to be composed by Peter Helmut Lang from Thuringia. Each picture of the altar was described musically in one movement and also became the central topic of a special service during the ecclesiastical year.

"•The music of late-Romantic composer Margaret Ruthven Lang (1867-1972)– though quite well known in her time – fell into near-total neglect after she stopped composing in 1919. • Following earlier surveys of her art songs and piano music, this offering features a program of fourteen of Ms. Lang's secular and sacred choral works, all beautifully crafted and very appealing. • Musicians from the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam, perform."

Though unknown to many today, Margaret Ruthven Lang was one of America's pioneering woman composers. Distinguished pianist Lucy Mauro brings Lang's remarkable and underperformed keyboard creations to vibrant life with deep sensitivity, touching emotion, and admirable technical facility. These pieces will be exciting discoveries for any pianist or piano fan on the prowl for fresh repertoire.

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Based on actual 18th-century texts, David Lang's anatomy theater follows the astonishing progression of an English murderess from confession to execution and, ultimately, public dissection before a paying audience of fascinated onlookers. Through the miracle of opera, she sings through it all. Composed by David Lang, with libretto co-written by Lang and scenic designer Mark Dion, anatomy theater a tuneful and grisly theatrical event that conjures a time when "specialists" traveled from town to town in pre-modern Europe, conducting public dissections of the corpses of executed criminals, seeking evidence of moral corruption in the interior of the human body. And as Lang himself warns in the liner notes, it's not for the squeamish - and that includes the performers: "No singers were harmed in the creation of this opera. It seems like an odd statement to make about an entertainment, but it is definitely appropriate to make it, since our piece is so full of terrifying things. Crime and punishment, execution, dissection, the thin line that separates moralistic cruelty from dispassionate scientific inquiry - they're all there."

The Day was commissioned for Maya Beiser by the University of Iowa/Hancher Auditorium, and is dedicated to Maya. It premiered at SFJAZZ in San Francisco, California, in August 2016. World To Come was commissioned for Maya Beiser by Commissioning Music/USA, The Carnegie Hall Corporation, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing arts, and several other arts organizations. It premiered in 2003 in New York City. Cellist Maya Beiser performs both of these works by David Lang with a sparkling interpretation that assures the listener they were tailor-made just for her bow.Cellist Maya Beiser defies categories. Passionately forging a career path through uncharted territories, she has captivated audiences worldwide with her virtuosity, eclectic repertoire, and relentless quest to redefine her instrument’s boundaries. The Boston Globe declares, “With virtuoso chops, rock-star charisma, and an appetite for pushing her instrument to the edge of avant-garde adventurousness, Maya Beiser is the post-modern diva of the cello,” while Rolling Stone calls her a “cello rock star.”

�David Lang's, "love fail" is a meditation on love's timelessness, weaving together details from the Tristan and Isolde story with more modern sources. � The recording also spotlights the vocal quartet Anonymous 4, whose commitment to medieval music and historical scholarship has been acclaimed worldwide. � In a NYTimes review of the BAM performance, Anthony Tommasini wrote: "It was Mr. Lang's music, and the ethereal, pure-toned singing of Anonymous 4, that claimed me in the first section of the piece

An opera in one act for solo baritone voice, solo piano and ensemble, David Lang's 'the loser' has been lauded by the New York Times as a "boldly unconventional" work, and that's almost putting it mildly. 'the loser' is based on the Thomas Bernhard novel of the same name, in which an anonymous narrator and once-promising concert pianist retells the story of his friend's suicide. As it turns out, both were students in the same master class, taught by Vladimir Horowitz, as a young Glenn Gould. Playing in the shadow of Gould brings both to the realization that true greatness will never be theirs, wrecking both their lives forever. As David Lang tells it, "The story is not at all about Gould, Horowitz, or classical music. On one level, the novel is an intense tour-de-force of character development, as the narrator tells you more about himself and his world. In it's own strangely beautiful way, however, it's also about perfectionism, hard work, how we justify our lives to ourselves, and how we learn to appreciate beauty and become alienated from it at the same time." Featuring Rod Gilfry (baritone), Conrad Tao (piano) and the Bang on a Can Opera Ensemble conducted by Lesley Leighton, 'the loser' premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2016 and made it's west coast premiere at the LA Opera in early 2019. Tracked in New York and Los Angeles, the studio recording recaptures what the LA Times described as "a mesmerizingly virtuosic performance by Rod Gilfry, destined for the annals of opera."

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LANG: Violin Sonata / Cello Sonata / Canto / Viviofa

LANG: Concerto Ebraico / A faun halala / Fleur de delice

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Four-time Grammy-winning sextet, Eighth Blackbird (8BB), "one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet" (Chicago Tribune), presents the world premiere recording of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang's composition as explanation, based on Gertrude Stein's seminal 1926 lecture of the same name. Called "Super Chamber Music" by David Lang, this multidisciplinary work incorporates elements of chamber music, theater, and performance art; it has the groundbreaking ensemble not only performing the music, but also speaking and singing Stein's text.

For the performance, the 8BB players committed themselves to a rigorous education process, including lessons in acting, diction, and the art of theater. Musical America praised 8BB's live performance of Lang's work as "every bit as witty, circular, and self-referential as Stein's own prose; it's rare, not to mention utterly satisfying, to hear a work that so completely embodies it's text. To invoke Stein, one suspects Composition as Explanation will be a work of our time for many times to come."

In 2016, 8BB asked David Lang to propose a project that they could perform at the Chicago Arts Club in conjunction with the Club's centennial year. In his research, Lang discovered that Stein had spoken at the Club in 1934; this led him to employ Stein's text as the basis for the piece.

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In producing an update of his Pulitzer-winning 'the little match girl passion,' composer David Lang sought to deliver "...a leaner version of the piece, a more human version, one that emphasizes every breath, and that heightens the individuality of each singer." Featuring inspired performances by singers Molly Netter, Kate Maroney, Gene Stenger and Dashon Burton, as well as the renowned Trio Mediaeval — on the bonus track "I want to live," as well as an updated version of "just (after song of songs)" — this new recording accomplishes everything that Lang set out to explore, opening up fresh vistas of accessibility to a beloved work in modern choral music.

Featuring inspired performances by Mammoth Trio (Lisa Moore, Ashley Bathgate and Elly Toyoda) and the NYC-based Contemporaneous ensemble (conducted by David Bloom), David Lang's shade is one of his most poignant and dynamic collaborations — a writ-minimal recording with a wide-open emotional arc that can transport us into spaces that are by turns mournful, meditative and uplifting.

'shade' and its companion piece 'wed' clock in together at a little more than 23 minutes, but the listening experience is rich with the gradual ebb-and-flow sensations of an orchestral concert, or more directly, one of Lang's signature song cycles. The title piece moves through several distinct moods, with the middle section allowing the piano trio to step forward into a shimmering light while the string orchestra, as the composer intended, undulates behind them in shadow. The much shorter 'wed' is a triumph of string arrangement, with conductor David Bloom leading Contemporaneous through a slow-building wave of alternately consonant and dissonant textures, reflecting the tragic and beautiful events that inspired Lang to write the piece.

Lyoba 2

Close your eyes, lean back and enjoy!

In October last year, I reviewed for MusicWeb International, the first volume of songs by American composer Margaret Ruthven Lang. She was unknown to me at the time, and naturally, I had never heard her music. Little did I know that I was in for a treat! Indeed, Volume I of Lang’s selected songs was a very pleasant surprise. The music was exquisite and beautifully matched the lyrics. It made me think: where on Earth had this composer been hiding all my life! For me, it was a revelation, which was why I selected it as one of my Recordings of the Year 2011. I have been anticipating the launch of the second volume. Well, it is here now, under the charming title of New Love Must Rise. I am very pleased to say that it does not disappoint; on the contrary, if anything, it is even better than the first.

In a brief interview to me, via e-mail, tenor Donald George, who performs the songs with pianist Lucy Mauro in both volumes, said of Lang’s work: “The songs are simple, eminently singable and enjoyable. They work in the singing voice”. For me, this is exactly why the songs have an instant appeal and the reason why one is happy to listen to them repeatedly. As with the first CD, the songs are organised into topics: The Garden, The Twilight, Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures and Tomorrow and a Lullaby. The recording opens with On an April Apple Bough; a gorgeous piece and one of my favourites in Volume II. Although not the most difficult to perform, its heart-warming, poetic melody immediately has you hooked! All the other songs within the Garden topic are equally beautiful but there are two that stand out and which I would describe as two mini-masterpieces. The first, I Knew the Flowers Had Dreamed of You, is delicate and lyrical. The second, Nameless Pain, sets a poem by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, where the music perfectly illustrates the poetry. It is vibrant, poignant and powerful all at the same time; if you close your eyes, you can almost feel the summer wind or the scent of the rose and sense the nameless pain of the poet.

These two precious gems are by no means unique. The second topic, The Twilight, begins with another of these little treasures, Song in the Songless. This is on a poem by George Meredith from “A Reading of Life”. It is an extraordinary piece, emotionally very expressive, almost operatic. It is probably one of the most difficult to sing but also one of the most effective dramatically. It works almost like a duet between the voice and the piano. Donald George does it justice and has here the opportunity of showcasing an excellent technique, with some very warm, confident high notes, a very fine crescendo and the right level of sentiment. The piano line is exquisite and engaging, particularly on its own when responding to the voice. Lucy Mauro’s delicate touch and flawless technique give us a luminous sound of great beauty, adding to the emotional impact of the song.

Besides the abovementioned little masterpieces, there is much to enjoy and admire. All the songs within the second topic, The Twilight, are simply adorable; often evocative of a certain romantic atmosphere that adds to the general charm. Then, there is the very funny, at times witty group of Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures, effectively performed by George and Mauro with humour and a real sense of fun. I felt like jumping in and singing along! The last topic, Tomorrow and a Lullaby, is perhaps, from my perspective, as a linguist, the most fascinating section of the recording. It includes a song in German Lied der Nebenbuhlerin and one in French Lament. These songs are not better than the ones in English but it is remarkable how well Lang is able to compose to languages that were not her own. It shows her versatility, knowledge and sensibility.

Tenor Donald George and pianist Lucy Mauro are in this CD, as in the first, in fine form. The musical rapport between them is transparent throughout, as is their obvious admiration for the composer. They revel in the music; their sheer delight is contagious and, like me, you will suddenly realise that you are smiling, all alone in a room, for no apparent reason!

I could go on forever, describing the intricate beauty of Margaret Lang’s songs, one by one, but then, this review would become far too long! To summarise: the songs of the second volume are as admirable as the ones of the first. Lang’s music is full of appealing melodies and sophisticated harmonies but most of all, the songs have a freshness, an innocence of days gone by. They are often deceptively simple but the more one listens, the more one grasps their delicate complexity. This collection of little musical treasures comes, yet again, in an attractive, colourful package as delightful as the music. There are some very interesting, informative notes, on the composer and her songs, written by Lindsay Kooth.

Finally, I would like to end by making a simple suggestion: Get the recording, close your eyes, lean back and enjoy!

-- Margarida Mota-Bull, MusicWeb International

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