Cambodian composer Chinary Ung's haunting work for amplified string quartet with vocalizations (by the quartet), in memory of the Cambodian Holocaust.  A spirit-filled, evocative journey.

http://delsolquartet.com/recording-posts/ring-of-fire/


Chinary Ung:  Spiral X -  "In Memoriam"  (For Amplified String Quartet) (from Ring of Fire)

Breathe was written for pianists Izzy O'Connell and Kathleen Supové, which incorporates pre-recorded sound design and spoken narration.  The concept of this piece comes from my interest of the condition known as Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disorder commonly affecting the lungs, and other organs of the body.  A good friend of mine was born with this condition, and her stories have shaped my view of my own fragile health and mortality.  Born in South Africa, at the time of this commission Alice Vosloo was surviving her first double lung transplant since her operation in 2008 (after this collaboration she then went on to receive her second double lung transplant in October of 2017).   For myself that has a very serious case of asthma, I’m aware that my own health is a small comparison to the struggles of someone who has CF, as I am constantly mindful of what they experience on a daily basis when I take my asthma inhaler every morning.  There are strong arguments in the medical community that Frédéric Chopin may have very well suffered and died from our modern diagnosis known as Cystic Fibrosis.  Due to this research and revelation, the piece is constructed in many forms, as it incorporate elements of music quotation from Chopin’s various works (Nocturne Op. 9 No.1 in Bb Minor, Prelude No. 15 in Db Major, and Prelude Op. 28 No. 4 in E Minor) juxtaposed with sounds of breathing and circulation, with splices of narration from an interview of my friend talking about this disease.  I was intrigued of Alice’s transition into her new lungs, and how she felt the first time her new organs felt completely fresh and new, which therefore lead me to also incorporate chord progressions from Pink Floyd’s Breathe (In the Air).  The use of two pianos in this work is a multi-sided canvas of both experiences, the prognosis of this condition, and the new freedom that is given to successful lung transplant receivers. Although not all surgical procedures of lung transplants are successful, the gift of a new life from this medical perspective intrigues me on a profound spiritual level… 

The interview with Alice for the spoken narration component of this work was conducted at her home in Johannesburg, South Africa on 18 January, 2017. In addition, I would sincerely like to thank Oli Lewington, Engagement Director from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in the UK for his assistance and guidance on this project.  Breathe was made possible by a grant from the American Composers Forum with funds provided by the Jerome Foundation, and was premiered at the Yamaha Piano Salon in New York City on 26 January, 2017.

Breathe

Made from *Her absence filled the world* for string orchestra (2017)
Part of solo-set @  Greta Gallery Zagreb, November 2017

SELFLOVE I: Her absence filled the world RMX

Torrent

Pneuma

What possibilities emerge when we begin to question the tacitly accepted — and easily overlooked — limits that govern who we can be and what we can do?

Composer Samuel Adams, rock climber/BASE jumper Steph Davis, and arts leader Ed Yim all push past traditional limitations in their everyday lives by writing music that reaches new emotional depths, scaling cliffs and flying off of them, or making a platform for artists to create without compromise. Each of them offers a unique and insightful perspective on this question in the debut episode of Imagination Radio.

Music in this episode:
— Dylan Mattingly: from Stranger Love (2018) — Contemporaneous
— Samuel Adams: Tension Study no. 2 (2010) — Living Earth Show
— Judd Greenstein: Change (2009) — NOW Ensemble
— David Moore: Broad Channel (2015) — Bing & Ruth
— Samuel Adams: from Chamber Concerto: Prelude (One by One) (2017) — Karen Gomyo, violin
— Samuel Adams: Shade Study (2014) — Sarah Cahill, piano
— Samuel Adams: Drift & Providence (2012) — National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic & James Ross, conductor; Samuel Adams, electronics
— John Lewis: Silver (1964) — John Lewis, piano; Orchestra U.S.A.; Gunther Schuller & Harold Farberman, conductors
— Dan Trueman: Silicon / Carbon (2008) — Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk); American Composers Orchestra & Jeffrey Milarsky, conductor
— Ólafur Arnalds: Hands, Be Still (2013)
— Philip Glass: from Symphony No. 4 (1996): I. Heroes — American Composers Orchestra & Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
— Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: from String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 (1871): II. Andante cantabile — New York Philharmonic & Leonard Bernstein, conductor
— Julia Wolfe: from Fuel (2007): Part II — Ensemble Resonanz & Brad Lubman, conductor
— Hector Berlioz: from Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (1830): V. Songe d'une nuit du Sabbat — Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique & John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
— Gustav Mahler: from Symphony No. 8 in E-flat, Symphony of a Thousand (1906): Accende lumen sensibus — Schola Cantorum of New York, Juilliard Chorus, Columbus Boychoir; New York Philharmonic & Leonard Bernstein, conductor
— James Horner: from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
— Ludwig van Beethoven: from String Quartet in E-flat, Op. 74 (1809): I. Poco adagio; Allegro — Artemis Quartet
— Samuel Adams: Quartet Movement (2016) — Spektral Quartet
— Meredith Monk & Mieke van Hoek: Vow (2011) — Katie Geissinger, voice
— Steve Reich: Proverb (1995) — Theatre of Voices; Steve Reich Ensemble & Paul Hillier
— Dylan Mattingly: from Atlas of Somewhere (on the Way to Howland Island) (2011): II. Islanded in a Stream of Stars — Contemporaneous
— Morton Feldman: String Quartet No. 2 (1983) — FLUX Quartet
— Anthony Motto: Live at GGBY in Moab (2017)

With gratitude and admiration, this episode is dedicated to the memory of composer, conductor, pedagogue, and family man Harold Farberman (1929-2018).

1: What does it mean to work without limits?

https://www.derekcoopercomposer.com/crystalcaverns

Imagine a cave, filled with crystals that can glow even when no other light is present. As they glow, they sing a song to each other not of our world. The idea for Crystal Caverns originally came from the idea of light shining through a crystal in such a way that it refracted into a spectrum of different colors. One ray of light enters, but many rays of color exit. The same concept is conceived in the lower saxophones as one stream of air enters the horn, but multiple notes exit at the same time through multiphonics. From there, I imagined a cave full of these crystals. It’s a beautiful, magical, and engaging image that has been conjured in many fantasy and sci fi mediums; a cave full of multicolored crystals glowing, seemingly without anything to give them initial illumination. And so, the layers that go over these hypnotic multiphonics create a realm of magic and wonder, but also mystery as I imagine what a cavern full of these crystals would sound like.

An excerpt from the premiere by Iridium Saxophone Quartet at the 2019 Red Note New Music Festival

Crystal Caverns - Iridium - Excerpt

a string quartet is like a flock of birds (2020) 
nine meditations and dances for string quartet

Commissioned by Kinetic Ensemble in Fall 2020

Performed Nov. 1st, 2020
Kinetic Ensemble - Textures of Change
Live Oak Friends Meeting House
Houston, TX

I've been thinking a lot recently about togetherness and apartness; how while we grieve and reckon with the collective trauma of the pandemic we've been isolated from one another, but at the same time we're still struggling to find new ways to connect. And in a certain sense, a string quartet epitomizes these ideas: it's a coming together of disparate things, fusing solo virtuosity with a more communal, receptive way of playing. All four parts are equal, and each player has to be both a follower and a leader. And I've also thinking about how wrong it feels to be creating something slow and somber to be performed now, when a return to music-making should really be a cause for joy and celebration. a string quartet is like a flock of birds is structured in 9 interlocking movements, with slow, reflective meditations alternating with fast, rhythmic dances. The whole quartet is focused on the musical idea of togetherness: the 4 parts fit together like a puzzle, and only when all the parts are fit together do melodies emerge. Each section in the piece is about the players slowly finding each other: sometimes overlapping, sometimes drifting apart into different kinds of motion, circling around each other like birds in flight. 

https://www.paulnovakmusic.com/
https://www.kineticensemble.org/

Image: Photo by Daniel Biber

Crystal Caverns - Iridium - Excerpt

Derek Cooper