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Difficult Grace / Seth Parker Woods
Cedille

Difficult Grace / Seth Parker Woods

$9.99
$19.99 Save 50%

Details

Composer
Monty Adkins, Fredrick Gifford, Ted Hearne, Nathalie Joachim, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Alvin Sing
Artist
Seth Parker Woods, Nathalie Joachim, Ted Hearne
Format
CD
Label
Cedille
Released
Apr 14, 2023
Catalog #
CDR 219
UPC
735131921923

About

Difficult Grace, based on GRAMMY Award-nominated cellist Seth Parker Woods’ multimedia concert tour de force, conceived by and featuring Woods in the triple role of cellist, narrator/guide, and movement artist, is Woods’ debut album for Cedille Records.

Hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” who possesses “mature artistry and willingness to go to the brink,” Woods has established a reputation as a versatile performer straddling several genres. He is the recipient of the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award.

Difficult Grace is a semi-autobiographical exploration of identity; past/present histories and personal growth that draws inspiration from the Great Migration; the historic newspaper, The Chicago Defender; immigration; and poetry by Kemi Alabi and Dudley Randall. The album features music written for and with Woods including the world premiere recording of the title work, Difficult Grace, by Fredrick Gifford (b. 1972) that layers solo cello, electronics, and spoken text (delivered by Woods) derived from Dudley Randall’s poem, “Primitives.” Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s (1932–2004) “Calvary Ostinato,” the all-plucked third movement from Lamentations Black/Folk Song Suite, references traditional African American music. Additional world premiere recordings include Monty Adkins’ (b. 1972) Winter Tendrils and Nathalie Joachim’s (b. 1983) The Race: 1915. Alvin Singleton’s (b. 1940) Argoru II and Joachim’s Dam Mwen Yo, featuring Joachim as vocalist, follow.

The program ends with a final world premiere: Ted Hearne’s (b. 1982) multi-movement, Freefucked, a suite of songs set to poems by Kemi Alabi, featuring Hearne on vocals and electronics on the final track, “After We Ruin." In its review of the live performance of Difficult Grace, The New York Times described Woods as “a cellist of prodigious technical gifts and sharp intellect... Woods is an artist rooted in classical music, but whose cello is a vehicle that takes him, and his concertgoers, on wide-ranging journeys.”

Tracklist 11 tracks

  1. 1 Difficult Grace 06:20
    Track
    1
    Title
    Difficult Grace
    Duration
    06:20
    Composer
    Fredrick Gifford
    Performer
    Seth Parker Woods
  2. 2 Lamentations, "Black Folk Song Suite": III. Calvary Ostinato (quarter note = 80-88) 03:23
    Track
    2
    Title
    Lamentations, "Black Folk Song Suite": III. Calvary Ostinato (quarter note = 80-88)
    Duration
    03:23
    Composer
    Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
    Performer
    Seth Parker Woods
  3. 3 Winter Tendrils 10:19
    Track
    3
    Title
    Winter Tendrils
    Duration
    10:19
    Composer
    Monty Adkins
    Performer
    Seth Parker Woods
  4. 4 The Race: 1915 07:05
    Track
    4
    Title
    The Race: 1915
    Duration
    07:05
    Composer
    Nathalie Joachim
    Performer
    Seth Parker Woods
  5. 5 Argoru II 12:13
    Track
    5
    Title
    Argoru II
    Duration
    12:13
    Composer
    Alvin Singleton
    Performer
    Seth Parker Woods
  6. 6 Dam mwen yo 05:25
    Track
    6
    Title
    Dam mwen yo
    Duration
    05:25
    Composer
    Nathalie Joachim
    Performer
    Nathalie Joachim, Seth Parker Woods
  7. 7 Freefucked I 01:45
    Track
    7
    Title
    Freefucked I
    Duration
    01:45
    Composer
    Ted Hearne
    Performer
    Ted Hearne, Seth Parker Woods
  8. 8 A Wedding, or What We Unlearned from Descartes 05:16
    Track
    8
    Title
    A Wedding, or What We Unlearned from Descartes
    Duration
    05:16
    Composer
    Ted Hearne
    Performer
    Ted Hearne, Seth Parker Woods
  9. 9 Freefucked II 03:00
    Track
    9
    Title
    Freefucked II
    Duration
    03:00
    Composer
    Ted Hearne
    Performer
    Ted Hearne, Seth Parker Woods
  10. 10 The Lion Tamer's Daughter vs. the Ledge 04:16
    Track
    10
    Title
    The Lion Tamer's Daughter vs. the Ledge
    Duration
    04:16
    Composer
    Ted Hearne
    Performer
    Ted Hearne, Seth Parker Woods
  11. 11 After We Ruin 02:18
    Track
    11
    Title
    After We Ruin
    Duration
    02:18
    Composer
    Ted Hearne
    Performer
    Ted Hearne, Seth Parker Woods