Sergey Kuryokhin was as fine a composer as he was an improvisor. The Divertissement Orchestra, led by violinist Ilya Ioff, reinterprets one of Kuryokhin’s finest compositions from his album The Sparrow Oratorium. Well-played, indeed. Alisa Ten: vocals [1, 2, 4] Vera Chekanova: vocals [2, 3, 4] Lidia Kovalenko: violin [1], viola [2, 3] Mikhail Blekher: honky-tonk [1], celeste [2], piano [3, 4], harpsichord [4] Vladimir Volkov: double bass [4] Ivan Chernobaev: percussion Ilya Ioff: violin [1, 3, 4], drums programming [3]
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The LENsemble Vilnius, conducted by Vykintas Baltakas, won my attention because of their astounding interpretation of their interpretation of Osvaldas Balakauskas‘ composition Rain for Cracow (1991) for violin and piano. A worthy release.
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Brooklyn-based composer and cellist Clarice Jensen has an incredible resume, including performing on new releases from both Michael Stipe and Taylor Swift as well as well as being the artistic director of ACME, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble. This release is from her first soundtrack. Information from her Bandcamp site follows: “The fifteen-minute long 5-track EP was recorded at Jensen’s home in Brooklyn. It was performed on cello and electronics and also sees Clarice expanding her ouevre into works for piano. The material comprises her first feature film comission, since which Clarice has worked on three more, and so marks…
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Friends and readers, thank you for indulging your scribe a well-needed rest after 1,000 days of activity. We relaunch with one of the most gorgeous electroacoustic recordings I’ve come across in a while. María Cristina Kasem is a composer and violinist from Argentina who has an extensive body of work in academic experimental music. These three works are eerie, but so incredibly engaging that the sounds managed to soothe my ears. A very pleasant find.
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Our friends at Lost Tribe Sound have released yet another gem in their catalog. This release is from the Danish group Skyphone, and their Bandcamp release page explains further: “The new Skyphone record original began as a project to explore long form close-miced acoustic sessions. The trio worked to record and capture the intimacy of various acoustic instruments. The recordings were very meticulous and long, and were largely meditations over harmonies and fugue-like movements of guitars, bass, synths, piano as well as mandolin, bells, wind instruments and acoustic drums. The trio spent a lot of time building the right sound,…
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Federico Mosconi has produced a perfectly melancholy album, one of those discs you will go to at 4 a.m. when the word feels like it will fall apart, yet magically sticks together through a combination of faith and music. From his label DRONARIVM’s Bandcamp site: “”Nocturnal” is a trip that takes place during the night and ends at the break of dawn. A lonely and (sometimes) melancholic journey through a calm and deep night.”
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The combination of Micah Frank and Chet Doxas put a very different spin on the work of Saint Hildegard von Bingen. Instead of the deeply mystical Catholic music she is famous for, the duo, along with some impressive cohorts produce a rather filmic work which has the feel creating sound worlds.
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One of the great composers I have had the pleasure of reviewing is William Ryan Fritch. This EP is his latest, and these notes come from his latest EP via his Bandcamp site: “‘Heavy’, from composer William Ryan Fritch is a bombastic and ever-moving work that draws equally from the forward-thinking arrangements of modern chamber music as it does the snarling, imposing presence of Garage Rock. The whirring barrage of sounds and textures that percolate through it’s six songs are both wildly varying and effortlessly assimilated.”
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We have had the pleasure of reviewing the work on cellist Aaron Martin in the past, but it’s nice to see a new release with him collaborating on a project with accordeonist Phil Tomsett which, ironically, began in London. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “At Sea grew out of my walks along a particular part of the coastline. I took this walk at least once a day and over time built up a relationship with the sea, as if it were a sentient being observing me as much as I was observing it. Here I was trapped on dry land…
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I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Marc Méan’s previous works while working on my old blog, but this one just came across my radar, and it is absolutely shimmering (no pun intended, as Shimmering Records is his label for this release). This will appeal greatly to those who enjoy the work of Lubomyr Melchik and Philip Glass, especially the cinematic feel of the second track. It was impressive to read that he also had a background in free jazz and psychedelic rock, which gives him a wide palette to work from. Smooth, gentle and engaging listening.