spilled out from tangles invites the listener into an intimate space, to take a seat beside the singer, and to pause; to visit four delicate soundworlds, each of which explores in its own way the intimacy and physicality of the human voice. These four pieces were written for Juliet Fraser over the past five years. As a collection, they represent a partial survey of the solo repertoire for voice and tape/electronics Juliet has been building in recent years, but also of a generation’s compositional approach to the voice. Displaying an understated lyricism, these composers’ approaches show the breadth of creative possibility for crafting a sonic environment for the voice to inhabit.

Lisa Illean writes music of extreme sensitivity and refinement, of shifting shades and wide-open spaces. 'A through-grown earth' combines voice and pre-recorded lines for harp, strings, voice, electronic material and retuned zithers, resulting in an undulating texture that gently turns between microtonal modes and non-tempered tunings. 'Heave', by Sivan Eldar, is a work that questions the boundaries between matter and forms, and that tells a story of growth: out of the earth, into one’s own body and,  finally, memory, blurring all distinctions as the protagonist slips from earth into skin, body into light. Nomi Epstein describes 'collections for Juliet' as ‘a recording project piece for voice created from a detailed set of instructions and a small catalogue of ‘collections’ of three or four glissandi. A great richness emerges from this material through the detail heard at the micro-level and an overwhelming physicality is evident as the voice painstakingly rises and falls. Lawrence Dunn uses a twelve-note Just Intonation tuning system in 'While we are both', combining voice with fixed media that constantly drifts, reflecting perhaps the states (waking, awake, asleep) and times of day (light, morning, dark) found in Caitlin Doherty’s text. The effect is an uncanny combination of blazing harmonic brightness overlaid with long, aqueous ripples.

Soprano Juliet Fraser has a repertoire dominated by the very old and the very new. Juliet is an active commissioner of new music and has worked particularly closely with composers Rebecca Saunders, Bernhard Lang, Michael Finnissy, and Cassandra Miller. She regularly performs as a guest soloist with ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Musikfabrik, Ensemble Modern, Plus-Minus, and Talea. Juliet is a core member and co-founder of EXAUDI vocal ensemble as well as the founder and artistic director of the eavesdropping series and symposium in London.

spilled out from tangles

A through-grown earth

HCR23 | Lisa Illean: A through-grown earth [excerpt]

Founded in 2009, Huddersfield Contemporary Records (HCR) is a label devoted to new music. Based at the University of Huddersfield, and established in partnership between CeReNeM (the Centre for Research in New Music), Huddersfield University Press, and hcmf//, HCR features both established and emerging artists at the cutting edge of music making, including diverse innovations in instrumental composition, electronics, and free improvisation. HCR releases have been recorded and produced both in-house at the university and with a broad selection of professional partners, including hcmf//, ZKM, and Radio Bremen, and have attracted exceptional press attention for a label of its size. HCR produces outward-facing compilations, internationally contextualised but centred on new music in the UK. The label develops concept-driven releases, typically featuring a single performing artist and multiple composers, often drawing on the resources of CeReNeM’s industry partnerships and its international research network.  
 
Since 2015, HCR has been exclusively distributed by NMC Recordings.

Soprano Juliet Fraser has a repertoire dominated by the very old and the very new. Specialising in the gnarly edges of contemporary classical music, she is an active commissioner of new music and has worked particularly closely with composers Pascale Criton, Bernhard Lang, Cassandra Miller, Matthew Shlomowitz and Rebecca Saunders. She regularly performs as a guest soloist with ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Musikfabrik, Ensemble Modern, Plus-Minus and Talea, and has created duo projects with percussionist Maxime Echardour, double bassist Florentin Ginot and pianist Mark Knoop. Juliet is founder and artistic director of the eavesdropping festival in London, co-director of all that dust, a new label for new music, and co-founder and a core member of EXAUDI vocal ensemble.

HCR23 | Lisa Illean: A through-grown earth [excerpt]

HCR: Huddersfield Contemporary Records