Michael P. Atkinson, Horns
Recorded in January 2015 at Hollow Bone Studio.  Engineered and Mastered by Dave Nelson.  

Program Notes: 

Nasty Fucker - mvm 2 - “Antiphonal"
Nasty Fucker was written in 2007 for flutes and electronics and was recorded by Claire Chase. It has since been adapted for clarinet by Joshua Rubin, and I am extremely thrilled and impressed by the horn version of the piece by Michael P. Atkinson. 
Nasty Fucker is a three movement piece.  The second movement (“Antiphonal”) uses octave transposition and reverb to add bass, space, and darkness to a mid-range part along with a sense of call and response. The bass effect would be the choir in that case and the clean instrument the solo singer.  Conceptually, the movement is about what’s below and the vastness of distance and perspective.
When flutist Rachel Lumsden asked me to write this piece for her, I said that I would do it as long as I don’t have to name it something frilly like “Beloved Blossoms of Yore” or some profound line in pseudo Latin. She barked back “You can call it Nasty Fucker if you want”. And so I did.
-Mikael Karlsson

Duet No. 1 and No. 5
These duets were written out of a desire to add more contemporary techniques and characters to the repertoire of horn music.  No. 1 was written in 2006, and is a collection of  episodes alternating between whimsy and capriciousness.  I borrow a theme from the first movement of Sir Michael Tippett's unique Sonata for Four Horns.  No. 5 was written in 2009 and is a bit more conventional in technique but explores a wide range  through an intense series of counterpoint which builds slowly to an unexpected conclusion.  
-Michael P. Atkinson

Duet No. 5 - Michael P. Atkinson

Nasty F*cker - mvm 2 - "Antiphonal" - Mikael Karlsson

Duet No. 1 - Michael P. Atkinson

Alexander Ekman’s "A Swan Lake" premiered at the Oslo Opera House in April of 2014 to stunning reviews (except one, I think, which was really bad :). The first 11 show run sold out in one day.

Music: Mikael Karlsson
Orchestration: Mikael Karlsson, Michael P. Atkinson
The first act of the piece contains quotes from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”

All music performed by the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra
Conductor: Per Kristian Skalstad
Soprano: Elisabeth Teige
Concertmaster, violin soloist: Catharina Chen
Trumpet soloist: Lasse Rossing
Pianist: Yoko Toda

Recording Producer and mastering engineer: Jørn Pedersen
Recording Audio Engineer: Gerhard Hertzberg
Recorded and mixed at the Oslo Opera House in the spring of 2016.

Cover photo: Erik Berg
Cover design: Anna Ekman

Rough State Sound 2016

A Swan Lake - Beach Party Pt 1

Charles Peck, composer
Performed by Alarm Will Sound

Live at the Mizzou International Composers Festival, July 29, 2017

All recorded music is altered by the medium of its delivery. Most cassette tapes restrict high frequencies and digital mp3 files compress the original audio to its bare essentials. This piece is built around the peculiar alterations associated with vinyl records. The opening music jumps quickly between a variety of sounds, imitating the skipping that occurs when a needle is knocked out of a groove. Much of this material also includes small pitch fluctuations that imitate the sound of a warped vinyl. Later in the piece, the tempo and pitch both steadily increase during a long build as if the speed dial were being slowly changed from the setting for a 33 rpm vinyl to a 45 rpm. And finally, at the climax of the piece, the strings and woodwinds resonate strongly with a few fluctuations in energy, while the brass play at extreme volumes to represent the artifacts and distortion associated with a worn record or dull stylus.

A Swan Lake - Beach Party Pt 1

mikaelkarlsson

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