New Music

The conch shell exemplifies the versatility, sublimity, and transcendence of nature - a natural dwelling, a biological work of art, and, as shown by the City of Tomorrow, an instrument. NATURE, the debut Ravello Records release by the City of Tomorrow wind quintet - consisting of Elise Blatchford, flute; Stuart Breczinski, oboe; Camila Barrientos Ossio, clarinet; Laura Miller, bassoon; and Leander Star, horn - showcases works by four contemporary composers that explore the evolution of humanity's relationship with nature. 

David Lang's breathless illustrates the tireless flow of time - the constant and steady movement of events - each instrument playing the same phrase throughout which overlap and create a continuously evolving unity. The innate balance between order and chaos is portrayed in Luciano Berio's ricorrenze, a piece in which interweaving virtuosic lines are grown from a single unison note, like sprouting from a seed. Inspired by a fantastical encyclopedia of real and imagined animals, "...a certain chinese cyclopaedia..." by Denys Bouliane creates a musical taxonomy of the sounds of bebop à la Charlie Parker, making Darwinian observations about the infinite and complex variations in human-made arts. Nat Evan's Music for Breathing is a foil to the occidental concept that nature is nothing but "beautiful" or "peaceful," emphasizing that nature does not discriminate, all biological events occur without favor. Through their virtuosic interpretations, the City of Tomorrow explores human emotional responses to the ever-changing biosphere and how we find new ways to participate in an awe-inspiring, often turbulent, and always indiscriminate environment.

www.ravellorecords.com/catalog/rr7904/

The City Of Tomorrow - breathless (David Lang)

East Winging It - Ft Black Bear

Commissioned by the Thin Edge New Music Collective in 2012:
Ilana Waniuk - violin
Cheryl Duvall - piano/ harmonica
Elizabeth Eccleston - english horn
Olaf Szester - marimba, glockenspiel, harmonica

http://www.thethinedgenewmusiccollective.com
http://www.soundcloud.com/thin-edge-collective-1 

Recorded live by John S. Gray at Gallery 345 May 24, 2012

a destination (2012)

The emotional roots of this piece lay in Murphy’s own thoughts about the flaws of society and the arrival of the new millennium in the year 2000. Coming from a century of war and turmoil, from a civilization shaped by generations of hate, Murphy began to think of rage and violence in terms of a poison moving through our society, in the same way that venom, or disease, moves through a human body. 

The single-movement piece is divided into three sections (fast, slow, fast) that unfold over approximately twelve minutes. It opens with an expressive cello solo that gradually climbs to a high C sharp. The rest of the strings enter at this point, providing a shimmering background for the solo oboe. The fast section is frantic and agitated. The final section returns to the material and mood of the first, leaving unanswered the questions that have been raised. 

Instrumentation:
for oboe and string orchestra (min. 43321)   

This work was premiered on May 9, 2000 at CBC's Glenn Gould Studios in Toronto (Canada).

For more information about Kelly-Marie Murphy and her work, please visit our SoundMakers website: http://www.SoundMakers.ca

Indelible Lines, Invisible Surface by Kelly-Marie Murphy

Solomiya Moroz's piece 'cloud patterns' (2013) written for our Keys, Wind and Strings concert/touring project.  Recorded Jan. 22, 2013 in Banff and toured throughout Canada.  Olivia Steimel - accordion, Solomiya Moroz - flute, Ilana Waniuk - violin, Cheryl Duvall - piano.

cloud patterns - Solomiya Moroz

TENMC