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NEULAND - CHARLOTTE HUG EMANEM 4085
 Charlotte Hug is a brilliant violist, improviser and performer who uses such idiosyncratic inventions as the 'soft bow' (a bow whose hairs have been rendered completely slack). The space in which she performs is allowed to provide the form for her improvisations and the music grows out of a dialogue between the visual and the acoustic. She experiments with the possibilities of electronic music, including both canned and live electronics, but although the range of sounds on this adventurous CD is influenced and inspired by electronics, the music is described as ‘an homage to acoustic performance, an effort to exhaust its potential and to expand its horizons. The solo improvisation circles thematically around the unknown and the new, that which was already there but had not yet been discovered; it is the union of the unconscious and the conscious’. ‘Neuland is best goddamn thing that's happened to the viola since Berlioz’s Harold In Italy’ - Paris Transatlantic.
FORM D’ARTE - ANDREA GIUFFREDI SUMMIT 315
On this ambitious CD, the virtuoso Italian trumpet player Andrea Giuffredi shows his remarkable facility for musical experimentation, demonstrating the wonderfully expressive and varied potential of his instrument. Tracks include the peaceful Il Ballo del Bambini (for 5 trumpets, 2 flugelhorn and piccolo trumpet), La Ricreazione, La Finestra Sulla Strada, Mercato All'alba, the reflective Il Giallo E L'azzurro dei Giorni del Pane, Il Dialogo Coeve del Cicisbeo, Prologo, the extraordinary Omaggio A Giancarlo Betti (12 trumpets, drums and voice), Porto D'inverno and L'accolito Allo Specchio. ‘In addition to his impressive technical skills, Andrea Giuffredi is a wonderful musician!’- Brass Bulletin.
PROENCA/THE THEATRE OF MEMORY - JOHN BULLER NMC D081
This latest release in NMC’s Ancora series features two of the best-known pieces by the London-born composer (and architectural surveyor) John Buller, who celebrated his 70th birthday in 2002. Proença, commissioned for the Proms Jubilee season in 1977, sets the lyrics of troubadour songs for orchestra, mezzo-soprano (sung here by the excellent Sarah Walker) and electric guitar. The lyrics, in the Old French language of Provençal, deal not only with the usual subjects of love and music, but also with the 13th-century massacre of so-called heretics by the powers of the Catholic church. The inspiration for The Theatre of Memory lies in the ancient Greek art of improving the memory; and in a ‘memory theatre’ designed by the Renaissance philosopher Giulio Camillo. Modelled on a Greek seven-tiered amphitheatre, the number seven also related to the number of planets, whose characteristics were represented through images in the tiers of the memory theatre. The number seven is central to the music’s structure, with seven dramatic episodes and seven solo players in the role of Greek chorus. Both works are impressively performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Mark Elder.
FROM EAST TO WEST VIENNA MODERN MASTERS VMM 2030.
This eclectic collection of modern music includes fascinating works by from Lithuania (Jonas Tamulionis), Uruguay (Sergio Cervetti), Ukraine (Leonid Hrabovsky), the USA (Marshall Ocker) and Mexico (Marcela Rodriguez). The music ranges widely in other ways, too, from pieces for solo harpsichord to full choral works.
JAPANESE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC VIENNA MODERN MASTERS VMM 2031.
Japan has become one of the foremost countries in developing contemporary music and this interesting selection provides an ideal entry point for the newcomer. The works are by Akira Ifukube (Piano Suite), Maki Ishii (Beyond a Distance), Sawako Tamaru (Suishoren), Akira Nishimura (Three Visions) and Mamoru Jujieda (Gyro-Tango).
NEW MUSIC FOR ORCHESTRA VIENNA MODERN MASTERS VMM 3048.
All the works on this CD are by American-born composers and are world premiere recordings made by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. They include pieces by Jeremy Beck (Sparks, and Flame), Stephen Taylor (Unapproachable Light), Jeffrey Jacob (The Carol of Bells), Bernard Scherr, Margaret Vardell Sandresky (Songs of a Nomad Flute, soloist Petr Hladik), Theldon Myers (Fanfare for a New Millennium) and Phillip Schroeder (Fantasy for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestra, soloist Tamara Raatz).
MUSIC FROM SIX CONTINENTS VIENNA MODERN MASTERS VMM 3050.
A fine collection of stimulating modern works with pieces by Aaron Rabushka (Concerto Vocale, soprano soloist Barbara Piertrzak), David Fetherolf (Unattainable Peace: Symphonic Poem No. 1), Tsippi Fleischer (Symphony No. 2: The Train), Sonja Grossner (Destiny), Theldon Myers (Toccata - Fantasy) and Margaret Shelton Meier (Mass for the Third Millennium). The Moravian Philharmonic is conducted by Jiri Mikula and Toshiyuki Shimada.
MUSIC FROM SIX CONTINENTS VIENNA MODERN MASTERS VMM 3051.
More fascinating contemporary music from the excellent Vienna Modern Masters series with works from Japan (Tetsuji Emura: L’Intexteriure), Israel (Tsippi Fleischer: Symphony No. 3), Greece (Dinos Constantinides: Millennium Festival Overture), the USA (Don Walker: Topolobampo) and Ireland (Gerry Murphy: Piano Concerto No. 1). The orchestras are the Tokyo Philharmonic, conducted by Kazuhiko Komatsu, and Moravian Philharmonic, conducted by Jiri Mikula.
AWAKENING AT THE INN OF THE BIRDS COLD BLUE MUSIC CB0012
Michael Byron’s five ambitious compositions on this fascinating new CD feature performances by the FLUX Quartet, Sarah Cahill, Joseph Kubera and Kathy Supove. Byron alternates intriguingly between expressions of serene beauty and savage relentlessness, but although these moods often sound so different the two ‘voices’ are united in using multi-layered processes that the composer sometimes casts aside in favour of intuition. ‘Byron's music is immediately comprehensible and beautiful, while it remains experimental’ - San Francisco Bay Guardian.
THE LIGHT THAT FILLS THE WORLD - ADAMS COLD BLUE MUSIC CB0010
American composer John Luther Adams lives near Fairbanks, Alaska, and his music is influenced by the elemental landscapes and indigenous cultures of Alaska and the Great North. The three new works here are darkly textured pieces for bass clarinet, marimba, vibraphone, piano, organ, violin and doublebass: As well as the title track, the CD features The Farthest Place and The Immeasurable Space of Tones (the largest and most complex of the three). The musicians include Marty Walker, Amy Knoles, Robin Lorentz and Bryan Pezzone. Adams' work transcends his compositional devices, which churn away in the background while the surface shimmers with a simple joy in the very making of sounds. This is compelling, and quietly expressive music.
SENSUALITY 2002 - ELU EROICA JDT 3114.
Élu's Jeff Mettling was born in Ada, Minnesota and formed his first band at the age of 16. His passion for music continues and as Élu (pronounced ae-loo) he makes ethereal, meditative and imaginative music that combines modern drum beats and loops with melodic overtones. All the tracks on this unique recording are written, arranged, performed, engineered and produced by Jeff Mettling (with additional female vocals by Shelley Lopez). They include the enigmatic Sensuality (Intro), Captivate, Romantic, The Meaning of Love, Ever After and Sensuality 2002. ‘a not to be missed CD’ - Kuelle Magazine.
JOHN CAGE - WORKS FOR PREPARED PIANO COL LEGNO WWE 2CD 20027.
On this double-CD, the admirable Markus Hinterhäuser plays works written for prepared piano by the remarkable John Cage. These include Mysterious Adventure, A Room, Tossed as it is Untroubled, Music for Marcel Duchamp, Primitive, Spontaneous Earth, Totem Ancestor, Our Spring Will Come, Daughters of the Lonesome Isle, Valentine out of Season, Bacchanale, Prelude for Meditation and Two Pastorales.
LOVE - ELU EROICA JDT 3115.
More inimitable music from Élu, written and produced by the adventurous Jeff Mettling, with additional vocals by Shelley Lopez and Christina San Miguel. Among the outstanding tracks are Message of Love, Twilight, Secrets, Love (to be as one), Desire and the hauntingly beautiful Synergy. ‘Sinuous, sultry and seductive’ - Visions Magazine
MONOCHORD MUSIC - SONIA SLANY VILLAGE LIFE 98115VL.
Alternative music label Village Life has released this recording of the healing music of the Monochord, as recorded by Sonia Slany. This is the first time this instrument has been heard on disc, and it has been likened to an ocean of sound, lying on top of a giant loudspeaker, or the experience of being in the womb. The monochord was developed by Pythagoras to demonstrate sound principles, used by Hildegaard Von Bingen to sing her heavenly inspirations with, and expanded by Joachim Marz for therapy purposes as a seven foot long table with strings underneath. On this remarkable 2 CD set it is taken into a new musical dimension by Sonia Slany, becoming a sublime musical experience and an evocative trance mix of western improvisation, eastern European violin and voice floating on an ocean of monochord sound waves and African percussion. The second disc for healing comprises pure monochord sound waves for therapeutic purposes, intended to ‘support, heal and integrate the many aspects of ourselves, balancing our energies’
MARTIN SPEAKE’S FEVER PITCH VILLAGE LIFE 98054VL.
Saxophone player Martin Speake formed Fever Pitch in 1994 to express a ‘musical spirit that was more obviously rhythmic with less emphasis on harmony’. The compositions on this challenging CD fuse jazz with the rhythms of Indian and Eastern music to create rewarding soundscapes. The musicians include Martin Speake (alto saxophone), Chris Batchelor (trumpet), Stuart Hall (violin, pedal steel guitar, cretan lyra), Oren Marshall (tuba) and Paul Clarvis (percussions). ‘A truly fascinating hybrid’ - Time Out.
BALLADS OF LOVE AND BETRAYAL - JONGLARESA VILLAGE LIFE 01013VL.
Joglaresa are a medieval music ensemble adventurous improvisational and cross-cultural influences in their repertoire. Belinda Sykes studied voice and improvisation in North Africa, Spain, Bulgaria and the Middle East, and her charismatic voice is heard to great effect performing these Sephardic songs. Her talented band includes Paul Clarvis, Kim Burton, Stuart Hall and Tim Garside. ‘A felicitous exchange of ideas between Europe and the Middle East’ - The Guardian.
MEETING ELECTRA - SONIA SLANY VILLAGE LIFE 97121VL.
Electra Strings were founded by Sonia Slany and Jocelyn Pook after touring with the Communards to record strings in pop and rock music and are constantly engaged in redefining the role of strings in all kinds of music. They have played, recorded or toured with Bjork, Mark Knopfler, P.J.Harvey, Massive Attack, Transqlobal Underground, The Cranberries, and began the trend for strings in pop music, appearing in Later with Jools Holland as the resident string quartet. Recorded with percussionist Paul Clarvis, this is hauntingly beautiful and assured music. ‘Striking compositions’ - The Sunday Telegraph.
BREATHING - IF BWANA POGUS P 21010-2.
The first work on this CD, ‘Breathing’, features music written for two didjeridus, cello, oboe, and tapes. The second, ‘R.Ism V.2PF’, is for tape, two pianos, sampled flute, and electronics. ‘Barump Poc’ is for winds, organ, chorus, tapes, etc. Assisting Bwanettes on this exhilarating disc are Jane Scarpantoni, Dave Prescott, Brian Charles, Dan and Detta Andreana, Danielle Reddick, Paul Richards and Debbie Goldberg.
ROBERT RUTMAN - 1939 POGUS P 21017-2.
This release reissues Robert Rutman's intriguing Pogus LP 1939 with a 20-minute bonus track. The album features duos and trios with Carsten Tiedemann and Danny Orlansky, with musicians using various combinations of buzz chimes, bow chimes, tabla, chant and a single string steel cello. The adventurous music is meditative soundscape with drone-like qualities. With the exception of Tabla and Buzz Chime, in which percussion brings a feeling of ritualistic dance, all pieces are made of long sustained sounds evoking oriental shrines. Some sound textures are beautiful and the album reaches an artistic peak on Steel Cello and Bow Chime. ‘Mesmerizing sounds’ - All-Music Guide.
TEN THOUSAND YEARS OF BLUE - RICHARD LAINHART XI RECORDS XI 115.
Richard Lainhart’s music reflects the spirit of possibility that once defined electronic music, bringing with it a sense of past, present and future that transcends time, technology and cultural assumptions. The spell- binding music on this double-CD includes the mesmeric Bronze Cloud Disk (for multitracked, processed bowed tam-tam), Two Mirrors Face One Another (for multitracked, processed bowed Japanese temple bells), Cities of Light (for multitracked, processed voice), Ten Thousand Shades of Blue (for realtime interactive computer music system), Staring at the Moon (for realtime interactive computer music system with bowed and struck vibraphone) and Walking Slowly Backwards (for vibraphone). ‘...seemed to evoke feelings that can't quite be named, and suggest music I might rather imagine for myself in silence than trust most composers to compose’ - The Village Voice.
DECASIA - MICHAEL GORDON CANTALOUPE CA21009.
An East Village version of ‘Fantasia’, Michael Gordon’s thrilling and monumental Decasia is a single- movement work about decay. The music embodies restless and relentless orchestral power, using the rhythm of churning and sliding strings against brutal a percussion and brass section to find a momentum that lasts throughout the hour-long piece to its eerie rest. The brilliant basel sinfonietta is conducted by Kasper de Roo. ‘Exhilarating...casts a spell that draws the listener in’ - International Herald Tribune.
NOVA REDISCOVERED BERLIN CLASSICS 0013012BC-0013032BC.
NOVA wa the name of a record lable which featured exemplary recordings of new music in the GDR. This excellent NOVA Rediscovered series makes those recordings accessible again on CDs which mirror the design of the original LPs and offer an authentic impression of East German composers as possible, using meticulous remastering techniques. The excellent series is launched with characteristic works by Udo Zimmerman (The Schuhu and the Flying Princess), Friedrich Goldmann (Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3) and Reiner Bredemeyer (Oboe Concerto).
TRIBUTE - TRIOMATS DAPHNE 1015.
TrioMats is an elite Swedish chamber enemble featuring Mats Zetterqvist (violin), Mats Rondin (cello) and Mats Widlund (piano). On this exciting new recording the suitably-named trio perform four imaginative pieces by contemporary composers: Anders Nilsson, Sven-David Sandstrom, Johan Jeverud and Gosta F Hansson. Highlights include Sandstrom’s rhapsodic Fantasia II and Hansson’s Tribute, which combines a strict sense of form and awareness of tradition with elements of free improvisation.
TRILOGIE DE LA MORT - ELIANE RADIGUE XI RECORDS XI 119.
Voted one of 1998's top 15 Records Of The Year in Modern Composition by the writers and critics of The Wire, Trilogie de la Mort is a work in three parts for anologue Arp synthesizer. The first third of the work, Kyema is inspired by The Tibetan Book of the Dead and invokes the six intermediate states that constitute the existential continuity of the being. Kailasha, the second chapter, is structured on an imaginary pilgrimage around Mt. Kailash, one of the most sacred mountains in the Himalayas. Koumé, makes up the last part of the trilogy and emphasizes the transcendence of death. Eliane Radigue works with electronic sounds on tape to create an ambiance within which sound seems to move in a continual flow around the listener. Her music has been described as ‘infinitely discreet...next to which all other music seems to be tugging at one's sleeve for attention’ - Les Musiques Electroacoustiques.
BODY MUSIC - ELLEN FULLMAN XI RECORDS XI 109.
Body Music is music for Ellen Fullman's unique Long String Instrument, an eighty-foot long instrument with approximately eighty strings. Fullman has been developing this instrument for longitudinally vibrating long strings over the past thirteen years. Having received a BFA in sculpture, her interest in music began with the resonance of materials used in making sculpture. When she started making the Long String Instrument, she saw it as ‘sculpture as music’ and now has come full circle in conceiving ‘music as sculpture’. As well as the celestial Body music there are five other compositions on this CD, including the wonderful Work for 4 (performed on a 145-foot-long string installation) and Space Between. ‘Searing, shifting textures seep into the air. Shimmering webs of overtones evoke an otherworldly string section’ - Option.
THE CHORD CATALOGUE - TOM JOHNSON XI RECORDS XI 123.
The American composer Tom Johnson, born in Colorado in 1939, is considered a minimalist, since he works with simple forms, limited scales and generally reduced materials, but he proceeds in a more logical way than most minimalists, often using formulas, permutations and predictable sequences. He composed The Chord Catalogue in 1986 and has performed this uncompromising work many times around the world since then. This is its first recording. The score consists of a set of verbal instructions and is included in the CD booklet. Thus far, no one but Johnson has ever mastered playing the piece. ‘A transcendental experience....Resonances in the space, and excitations in the ears, caused sheer psychedelic perceptions, that well surpassed the simple combinations game’ - Berliner Morgenpost.
HOSOKAWA - VOICELESS VOICE IN HIROSHIMA COL LEGNO WWE 1 CD 20087.
This is the world premiere recording of the moving Voiceless Voice In Hiroshima by the gifted young composer Toshio Hosokawa. This haunting music is writen for choir, orchestra, soloists and speakers, and the featured artists here are Nathalie Stutzmann (alto), Theresa Kohlhäufl (speaker 1), Tim Schwarzmaier (speaker 2), August Zirner (speaker 3), Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (chorus master, Rupert Huber), Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (conductor Sylvain Cambreling).
MUSICA VIVA, VOL.2 COL LEGNO WWE 1 CD 20082.
This Musica Viva collection features the outstanding Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in world premiere recordings by Isabel Mundry (Flugsand - Markus Stenz, conductor), Jörg Birkenkötter (gekoppelt - getrennt, with pianist Hwa-Kyung Yim), Henry Koch, (Sonvexxon: Erosion 5 - Jan Krenz, conductor) and Olga Neuwirth (Photophorus, with guitarist Gunter Schneider).
IVAN WYSCHNEGRADSKY - 24 PRELUDES COL LEGNO WWE 1 CD 20206.
The 24 Préludes dans l'échelle chromatiquediatonisée à 13 sons, op. 22, in quarter-tone system for two pianos was composed by Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893-1979) in 1934 by and revised during the 1960s. This remarkable work is expertly performed here by the stylish duo of Sylvaine Billier and Martine Joste. The Etude sur les Mouvements rotatoires, op. 45a for two pianos tuned in quarter-tone apart for 8 hands is played by Sylvaine Billier, Martine Joste, Gérard Frémy and Fuminori Tanada, ably directed by Fernand Vandenbogaerde.
ALL RIVERS AT ONCE - PHILLIP SCHROEDER/DUO SAVAGE CAPSTONE CPS-8709.
The imaginative music of American composer Phillip Schroeder is splendidly performed on this CD by the excellent Duo Savage, consisting of Susan Savage (oboe and English horn) and Dylan Savage (piano and synthesiser). The mellifluous, impressionistic sounds are intended to be listened to at a leisurely pace, which allows the subtleties of melody, harmony and timbre to be fully appreciated. This is beautiful, introspective music, outstandingly performed by artists who worked closely with the composer to produce an impressive and lucid album.
TURNING TO THE CENTER - PHILLIP SCHROEDER CAPSTONE CPS-8699.
This outstanding CD features recordings of lyrical and inspired music by the highly individual composer, Phillip Schroeder. The works are An Offering (for baritone, clarinet and piano - poems by Walt Whitman), From Pudd'nhead Wilson’s Calendar (for baritone, clarinet and piano - texts by Mark Twain) and Turning to the Center (for baritone/percussion, clarinet/bass clarinet, synthesizer and sound system - poems by Rumi). The assured performers are Robert Best (baritone and percussion, Tamara Raatz (clarinet and bass clarinet) and Phillip Schroeder (piano and synthesizer). ‘Lovely and introspective songs...haunting melodies for troubled times’ - Sequenza21.
SCENT OF TIME MOVE MD 3263.
This fascinating album features Australian intriguing compositions for Asian instruments and voices, including works by Anne Norman (We Lose Things), Dang Kim Hien and Ros Bandt (Inside/Outside) and three evocative musical poems by Le Tuan Hung (Lotus Pond, Scent of Time and Echoes of an Old Festive Song). The number of Australian composers creating new works for Asian instruments has been growing steadily in recent years, encouraged by the availability of fine performers of Asian instruments in Australia, and positive developments in cultural, social, political and economic relations between Australia and Asia. Scent of Time has nine diverse works that take Asian instruments and voices beyond the boundaries of their own traditions, exploiting the many varieties of tone colours, musical gestures and technical possibilities of Asian instruments. This in an adventurous and fascinating exploration that produces uniquely beguiling soundscapes.
LARRY POLANSKY - FOUR-VOICE CANONS COLD BLUE MUSIC CB0011.
The ambitious American composer Larry Polansky has written a series of mensuration canons (a formal concept dating back to the Renaissance) that range from the excitingly boisterous (#6) to the serenely introverted (#17, Guitar Canon). This splendid recording features thirteen of these unique pieces (one of whichappears in three different versions). The instrumentation varies widely to include gamelan, electric guitars, children’s voices, computer-generated sounds, marimbas, non-pitched percussion, choir, and chamber ensemble. The pitch materials, rhythms, tempos, tunings, and textures also vary dramatically from piece to piece The performers and collaborators here are William Winant (avant-garde percussionist), Nick Didkovsky (guitarist, composer and computer music programmer), Jody Diamond (composer, performer and the founder and director of the American Gamelan Institute), The York Vocal Index, William Brooks, Ha-Yang Kim (cellist) and Nathan Davis (percussionist and composer). ‘Polansky is a highly original and uncompromising composer’ - Logosblad (Belgium)
RECOLLECTIONS - NORTH TEXAS WIND SYMPHONY KLAVIER K11124.
Recollections is one of three excellent new releases on the Klavier label featuring exhilarating performances by the innovative and unique North Texas Wind Ensemble. The works are by the young English composer Martin Ellerby (his tribute to the French capital, Paris Sketches), Percy Grainger (Irish Tune from County Derry), Vincent Perischetti, one of America’s most admired twentieth century composers (Divertimento), Ross Lee Finney (Skating on the Sheyenne), David Gillingham (Be Thou My Vision) and the Czech, Karel Husa (his powerful Music for Prague). The other new CDs from the adventurous North Texas Wind Ensemble are Escapades (K11128) and Symphonic Excursions (K11127).
ALL KNOWN ALL WHITE - ROGER REYNOLDS POGUS P 21025-2.
This is a welcome reissue of three exciting, long out-of-print works by Roger Reynolds. The serpent- snapping eye was written for trumpet, percussion, piano and four-channel tape. Ping and Traces were composed to complement one another. Ping represents the interest in theatre and intermedia running through Reynolds' compositions since The Emperor of Ice Cream and, as a recorded performance, is a self-sustained composition of instrumental improvisation over taped and electronic music. Traces is scored for solo piano, flute, cello, ring modulator, signal generator and six independent channels of taped sound. The talented musicians are Edwin Harkins (trumpet), Cecil Lytle (piano), Daryl Pratt (percussion), Roger Reynolds (piano), Karen Reynolds (flute), Paul Chihara (percussion and harmonium), Alan Johnson (live electronics), Yuji Takahashi (piano) and Lin Barron (cello).
GABURO - TAPE PLAY POGUS P 21020-2.
The ten works for electronic tape on this disc are Fat Millie's Lament, The Wasting of Lucrecetzia, For Harry, Lemon Drops, Dante's Joynte, Rerun, Mouthpiece II, Hiss, Few (in collaboration with Henri Chopin) and Kyrie. Kenneth Gaburo (1926-1993) produced a great deal of electronic music but works for tape alone were fairly rare in his output. Not surprisingly for a composer whose stated aim was to blur the distinctions between language and music, six of the ten pieces feature an overt use of the voice, while two of the ‘purely electronic’ pieces use timbres that are extremely vocal in character.
ALL THESE THINGS - TRIGGER POGUS P 21006-2.
These three remarkable musicians tread the fine line between composition and improvisation and their unique instrumentation often leads them to strange palaces. Paul Hoskin (contrabass, electric bass, e-flat electric), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello and banjo) and Leslie Ross (bassoon, Chinese shawms, and musette) display a gutsy freshness in their intricate and spectacular improvisations. Highly recommended.
CIRCLES - PHILIP GLASS MATERIALI SONORI MASO CD 90104.
Innovative music for solo piano, or arrangements for more than one piano, or for piano and cello, with an interpretative richness and depth give the ‘classic’ composer Philip Glass in a position of unique distinction. With its absence of refrains and points of melodic support, his work has the flavour of an opera which belongs in the history of contemporary music. On this recording the formidable Arturo Stalteri performs nine inspired Philip Glass works, including Metamorphosis One, River Run, Ave and Mad Rush.
CEREBUS - ERIK HINDS SOLPONTICELLO SP-003.
This lucid, uncluttered recording is a response by Erik Hinds to the overproduced music often heard these days. In the face of commercial artistic pressures, he plays the music he likes, sometimes using uncommon instruments in addition to guitar: one-holer, mountain banjo, and the amazing H'arpeggione built by Fred Carlson of Santa Cruz, California. Standout tracks include The Walk, Faith, Fingerstyle and Solar Suite I. This adventurous album also features virtuoso classical guitarist Colin Bragg, performing his own excellent composition, Three-Headed Monster.
MY CINEMA FOR THE EARS - ULI AUMULLER BRIDGE DVD 9117.
This 59 minute film by the German filmmaker Uli Aumüller is an impressionistic, wryly humorous look at nature and the creative process. It features two composers, Francis Dhomont and Paul Lansky, and follows their search for a musical art that emanates from their surroundings. Shot in the visually stunning Canadian countryside, My Cinema for the Ears uses Vivaldi's popular Four Seasons as a springboard for Aumüller's almost erotic display of water images. The DVD is in French and English, and includes subtitles in French, German and English. Also included are complete audio tracks of Fracis Dhomont's piece En cuerdas, and three Paul Lansky compositions - Night Traffic, Table's Clear, and Idle Chatter Junior.
ROGER ENO - HARMONIA MATERIALI SONORI MASO CD 90064.
This mini-CD is the trio Harmonia’s second collaboration with the inventive English composer, Roger Eno. Harmonia are reconfirmed as the best interpreters of Eno’s ambient and timeless chamber music. The CD also includes a brief intervew between Arturo Stalteri and the composer.
GLASS - DESCENT INTO THE MAELSTROM ORANGE MOUNTAIN MUSIC OMM 0005.
In 1986, Philip Glass was commissioned to create a work for the Adelaide Festival of Arts and chose to write a piece based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story ‘A Descent into the Maelström’. In collaboration with dancer/choreographer Molissa Fenley, set designer Eamon D'Arcy and theatre director Mathew McGuire the story became a music/dance/theatre extravaganza. This compelling, propulsive piece of music was only performed by the Philip Glass Ensemble during the week of the festival and the live recordings made of the performances were later found to be distorted and mostly unusable. PGE musical director, Michael Riesman, Kurt Munkacsi and the Ensemble members set about replacing their parts and the finished recording is a studio/live hybrid mixed to take advantage of the digital recording technology now available. This little-known recording of a powerful piece of classic Glass music was made when the Philip Glass Ensemble was at one of its peaks.
TERRY RILEY/EDDY DE FANTI MATERIALI SONORI MASO CD 12957.0070.2.
Ensemble Percussione Ricerca perform excitingly rhythmic works by Terry Riley and (In C) and Eddy De Fanti (Djembè). In C, a milestone of minimalist music, appears here in a rare and extended version for percussion instruments only. It creates a wonderful flow of hypnotic sound and is a forerunner of the later experimentation into minimal music.
DARK WATERS - INGRAM MARSHALL NEW ALBION NA112.
Ingram Marshall wrote Dark Waters, for English horn and tape, in 1996 for the fine oboist Libby Van Cleve. The English horn is amplified and processed through several digital delay devices and mixed live with the tape part, created using raw material from sampling fragments of an old 78 rpm recording of ‘The Swan of Tuonela’ by Sibelius. The 'low fi' sound and even the surface noise of the old acetate record, clearly heard at the beginning of the piece, are essential to its dark qualities. Also included on this ambitious CD are two more works by the same composer - Holy Ghosts (with Libby Van Cleve on oboe d'amore) and Rave, created for the choreographer Paula Josa-Jones who commissioned it for her solo dance work Raving in Wind.
BLENDS - RICHARD TEITELBAUM NEW ALBION NA118.
This adventurous CD contains two extended works by Richard Teitelbaum for shakuhachi and synthesizer with percussion and bass accompaniment. The music expresses his unique language and nuances of sound color which have given him a cult recognition among avant garde composers and audiences. Blends (1977) explores the shakuhachi's timbral world in an extended dialog with Moog synthesizers. Kyotaku/Denshi (1995) is more of a tour of Japanese history through the shakuhachi, from its roots of the travelling monks through various episodes of religious, artistic and secular events. The musicians are Katsuya Yokoyama (shakuhachi), Trilok Gurtu (tabla and percussion), Mark Dresser (bass) and Gerry Hemingway (percussion).
DAWGNATION - DAVID GRISMAN QUINTET ACOUSTIC DISC ACD-49.
This impressive recording by the revolutionary David Grisman Quintet (the group’s first studio release of new original material for seven years) is another display of genre-breaking brilliance. Tracks include the powerful opener Slade, the upbeat rock-samba Mellow Tang, the Latin-flavoured Cha Cha Chihuahua, the bluegrass-tinged Twin Town, and the sly swing of Dawg After Dark. The striking package features over 100 dogs in images contributed by fans of Acoustic Disc’s website.
JOHN ELLIS - IN RHODT SOUND ART SAVP101.
This is the first in a series of five sets of music and sonic landscape generated by the new Sound Art label. The respected musician John Ellis is better known for his guitar work with The Vibrators, Peter Hammill, Peter Gabriel and his current band The Stranglers. In 1989, the multi-media artist Moishe Moser invited him to create a sonic environment for an exhibition of paintings in Rhodt, Germany. The aim of the project was not to ‘illustrate’ any specific works but to provide a third dimension to the two dimensions of the painted works. There are no guitars on this release, on which the influences of Terry Riley and Philip Glass can be detected as the work dovetails into the Electronic/Plunderphonic/Ambient area.
GLISSANDO SPIRIT - INVISIBLE OPERA COMPANY OF TIBET VOICEPRINT VP147CD.
Glissando Spirit explores various aspects of oriental music and space-rock as performed on guitars and synthesisers. The CD includes an additional thirty minutes of previously unreleased material that was partially recorded in 1993 and treated in 1996, and the intriguing tracks included are Landing, Uluwatu, Electric bird, Baliman energy, Cosmic dancer, Inner voice, High mountains dance, Dreamin', Moon in the sky, Mirage, Distant shore, Stars can frighten you, 7 keys, Wizard's garden and Eastside.
KOLE KAT KRUSH - JAY CLOIDT STARKLAND ST-208.
Jay Cloidt composes slyly humorous pieces by skilfully splicing together deconstructions of both classical and pop references, combined with his clever sampling of everyday sounds such as industrial machinery, kitchen appliances and whining babies. His technically sophisticated, sometimes surreal music has found receptive audiences in the USA and overseas. The Cd begins with Kronos Quartet’s performance of the effervescent Kole Kat Krush, which they commissioned and premiered. The CD's major work, Life is Good...And People Are Basically Decent, was commissioned by and has been regularly performed by the Paul Dresher Ensemble. Among the other works are Jimi's Fridge (based on a sampled refrigerator motor) and the soothing, hypnotic (Light Fall). ‘One of the few composers in the post-sampler era to fully develop that tool's fascinating and witty potential’ - Stereophile.
STATE OF THE NATION - LONDON SINFONIETTA NMC D078.
This exciting live recording by the London Sinfonietta, conducted by Pierre-André Valade, with the pianist Rolf Hind, showcases ten extremely interesting new works by young composers working in Britain. It was recorded at last year’s State of the Nation festival of contemporary music held at London’s South Bank Centre and the music ranges from pieces for tape and prepared piano to works for full ensemble. The disc includes compositions by Richard Ayres (his exuberant Noncerto, for solo trombone and three amateur singers), Rolf Hind (Solgata, for prepared piano – its title taken from a Swedish word meaning ‘the path of the sun on water’), David Horne (Broken Instruments) and Jo Thomas (Wolfie, an intriguing electroacoustic interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood). The other featured composers are Luke Bedford, Peter Batchelor, Joe Cutler, Tansy Davies, Larry Goves and Fraser Trainer.
STEPHEN VITIELLO - BRIGHT AND DUSTY THINGS NEW ALBION NA115.
New York-based installationist and sound artist Stephen Vitiello was inspired by nightviews of the Lower Manhattan cityscape - billboards, harbor lights, police cars - to translate/amplify the visual into a sonic experience. Collaborating with sound technician Bob Bielecki, Vitiello developed the photocell controller, which translates the vibration of lights into tones. The sounds were processed both in computer and in live musical collaboration with David Tronzo and Pauline Oliveros (among others) to produce this flowing set of sound/song pieces that constantly alternate between noise and tone, lyricism and disturbance. ‘A master of the sound art medium’ - New York Times.
NUN/ NOTTORNO - HELMUT LACHENMANN KAIROS 0012142KAI.
The innovative German composer Helmut Lachenmann has chosen the Japanese philosopher Kitaro Nishida for his latest orchestral work, Nun. Lachenmann regards this piece as a pendant to his opera Das Madchen mit den Schwefelholzem, which tells the story of the ‘Little Match Girl’. Nottorno is an orchestral work that reveals a new aesthetic on behalf of this exciting and thought-provoking composer.
MIKAEL RABERG - SUITE EXTENDED PHONO SUECIA PSCD 136.
Suite Extended is a brilliantly imaginative work for Soprano, Big Band and Symphony Orchestra. This excellent recording features the pure Nordic singing of young Linda Pettersson and the big band sound is highly distinctive of Mikael Råberg’s work. The other composition included here is another eclectic piece by Råberg, his Ebu-Suite for Big Band and String Quartet. This is cross-over music with a light and impressive touch.
COLD BLUE COLD BLUE MUSIC CB0008.
This now-classic anthology, first issued in 1984, is back by popular demand and is now available for the first time as a CD, with the inclusion of a previously unissued bonus track by David Mahler. The other music includes works by Eugene Bowen, Harold Budd, Michael Byron, Rick Cox, Michael Jon Fink, Jim Fox (Appearance of Red), Peter Garland, John Kuhlman (In This Light), Daniel Lentz, Ingram Marshall, Read Miller, Chas Smith, and James Tenney. A fascinating range of sounds, from music for wine glasses and speakers to music for more traditional forces. ‘Destined to be a classic anthology of American new music’ - Charles Amirkhanian.
ADAMS/COX/FINK/FOX COLD BLUE MUSIC CB0009.
The haunting, evocative works on this CD feature pieces for clarinet/bass clarinet quintet with string quartet and clarinet with marimba and piano. There are compositions by John Luther Adams, Rick Cox, Michael Jon Fink, and Jim Fox. The Adams is a premier recording of a new work. The Cox, Fink and Fox were previously issued on the short-lived, hard-to-find Raptoria Caam label. Marty Walker (clarinet and bass clarinet) is joined in performance by Amy Knoles, Bryan Pezzone and the Amelite Consortium Strings. ‘Rich harmonies reminiscent of Gavin Bryars . . . a kind of warm glistening atmosphere that stirs memories of the Los Angeles night. . . . All in all, a very attractive issue of chamber music that goes softly into the ear without putting it to sleep’ - Fanfare.
PIANO WORKS - LINDA KOUVARAS MOVE MD 3233.
Australian musicologist and virtuoso pianist Linda Kouvaras composed these exciting works in response to specific locations - as a reflection on the lived experience of three distinctly different sites: a residential college at Melbourne University, the inner Melbourne bayside suburb of St. Kilda, and a working farm and historic homestead situated on the Shoalhaven River in NSW. ‘Linda Kouvaras has established a unique language of keyboard music in the tradition of the great composer/pianists ... remarkable’ - ABC Classic FM.
THE CONCERT BAND MUSIC OF GEORGE DREYFUS MOVE MCD 166.
The Symphonic Wind Ensemble of the Johannes-Gutenberg-University, Mainz, conducted by the composer, performs George Dreyfus’ complete music for wind orchestra. The works include a rare band version of Rush, the lively theme from the television series Waterfront. The other works are Larino, Safe Haven, the charming Lawson’s Mates, Euroa Hooray!, You’re Remember’d Well, Clive Douglas!, and Festival Music for the Gutenberg Year. This entertaining and evocative CD was recently selected as the MBS CD of the week.
SS PUFT - LIVE AT EARTHSHAKING MUSIC SOLPONTICELLO SP001-2.
On this double-CD set recorded at the famous venue in Atlanta, Georgia, the SS Puft Quartet are joined by brilliant saxophonist Dave Rempis to play music that subtly combines classical, jazz and rock influences. The fine musicians in the quartet are Colin Bragg (guitar), Jeff Crouch (trumpet), Blake Helton (drums) and Erik Hinds (bass).
CHANGING PLATFORMS UNKNOWN PUBLIC UP13.
This welcome release from the Contemporary Music Network celebrates its 30-year history through a 100-page book containing essays, an interview with founder Annette Morreau, an overview by editor Chris Heaton, plus a Time Map poster and information about many of the musicians and composers whose music has been presented by the admirable CMN. These two fine CDs feature ground-breaking music by, among others, Philip Glass, The Matrix, Michael Nyman, Bill Frisell, Carla Bley and Steve Reich. ‘A handsome book, with copious historical and musicological notes, completes a stimulating tribute' - The Guardian.
TALKING DRUMS UNKNOWN PUBLIC UP12.
This compilation features a wide range of wonderfully listenable music inspired by drummers, and all the players and percussionists on this issue from Unknown Public make a great sound. Although some of the drummers make a particular sound because the music demands it, there are many examples where the overall sound is influenced by the drummers and percussionists more than any other players. Editor Paul Clarvis makes the point that drums have evolved from a timekeeping role into sounds and lines that interweave with the very core of the music. Among those featured are Moondog, Clusone 3 (Irving Berlin’s My Bird of Paradise), Martin France (Spin Marvel), Steven Schick, Manuel Wandji (Urban Steps) and the Tiny Bell Trio (Kurt Well’s The Drowned Girl). 'This uncompromising record label ... gives new bite to the otherwise blunted phrase 'cutting edge'. - The Observer.
I, ANGELICA - IF, BWANA POGUS P21024-2.
This exciting, noisy music from Al Margolis’s If, Bwana needs to be played very loudly to reveal its full sonic repercussions. The works included on this fine double CD are for computer, electronics, voice (?), guitars and synthesizers, and have names such as The Railway Station Fire, Furry and Walking Der Dog. Brilliant and stimulating.
CROW COUNTRY - RON BOLLETER POGUS P21021-2.
Australian Ross Bolleter's new CD features five compositions. Four are solo works: the improvised Unfinished Business for ruined piano, the solemn Under Rookwood for multi-layered double bass, Labyrinth Tango for accordion, and the haunting Piano Dreaming for ruined pianola. That Time (Simulplay II) is for a duo of prepared piano and double bass (Ryszard Ratajczak). The recording quality is sometimes ropey but the musical ideas com thick and fast.
GARLAND HIRSCHI’S COWS - PHILLIP KENT BIMSTEIN STARKLAND ST-205.
The intriguing music of Phillip Kent Bimstein, formerly of the new wave band Phil ‘n’ the Blanks, is well demonstrated on these five quirky works. They include the title piece - a delightful description of a Utah farmer, his cows, and why they moo. The others are The Door, Dark Winds Rising, Vox=Dominum and The Louie Louie Variations (a contemplative fantasy that deconstructs the classic rock chord progression). ‘Memorable and entertaining’ - Alternative Press.
INVISIBLE GOLD - DAVID ROSENBOOM POGUS P21022-2.
David Rosenboom wa born in 1947 and has been widely acclaimed as a pioneer in American experimental music since the 1960s. As composer, performer, conductor, interdisciplinary artist, author and educator he has explored ideas in his work about the spontaneous evolution of forms, languages for improvisation, new techniques for ensembles, cross-cultural collaborations, performance art, computer music systems, interactive multi-media, compositional algorithms and the structure of the brain and nervous system. The two fascinating works on this CD - Portable Gold and Philosophers Stones (1972) and On Being Invisible (1976-77) - are classics of live electronic music involving ‘extended musical interface with the human nervous system’.
ELAN - MUSIC FROM MEXICO AND THE US NORTH AND SOUTH N/S R 1020.
Stimulating, intelligent vocal and instrumental music from Mexico and the United States is performed by Kathleen L Wilson (soprano), Daniel Kessner (conductor/flute), Max Lifchitz (piano), Robert Stibler (trumpet), Don Lucas (trombone), Frank Cassara (marimbva) and Alan Shinn (percussion), together with the North/South Ensemble. Composers include Max Lifchitz (Three Songs for Voice and Trumpet), William Toutant (Bagatelle) and Silvestre Revueltas (Cinco canciones de ninos).
SYLVIA HALLETT - WHITE FOG EMANEM 4057.
All the tracks on this stimulating CD were composed, performed and produced in London by the singer and musician, Sylvia Hallett, who has worked with theatre, dance and puppet companies, as well as writing for radio plays. The pieces here are Wheelsongs (using bowed bicycle wheel, voice and digital delays), The Onyx Rook (for violin and voice) and Snail and Curlew.
RAUK - GLOBAL PERCUSSION NETWORK OPUS 3 CD 22011.
The recently formed Global Percussion Network perform an unusually melodic brand of percussion music, prominently featuring the sounds of the marimba and vibraphone. The group, formed by the music’s composer and arranger, Anders Astrand, freely improvise pieces that contain both classical and jazz influences. This ultra-sharp recording was produced in Super Audio format and provide an excitingly extended stereo experience.
PHILL NIBLOCK - FOUR FULL FLUTES XI RECORDS XI 101.
The four pieces on this 80 minute CD are for multiple tracks of alto flutes, flutes, flutes and alto flutes, and bass flutes, performed by Petr Kotik, Susan Stenger and Eberhard Blum. Phill Niblock's dynamic style of music is unique and makes for exciting listening throughout. ‘The tones vibrate and glow, the densely packed texture shifting hues like a sonic aurora borealis’ - New York Times.
DAVID BEHRMAN - UNFORESEEN EVENTS XI RECORDS XI 105.
Unforeseen Events is the latest of David Behrman pieces made with computer software designed to interact in real time with a solo performer. The four sections were made specifically with Ben Neill's performance style in mind and the electronic timbres complement the sounds of his instrument - the remarkable mutantrumpet, with its three separately-mutable and playable bells. Refractive Light, the other work on this CD, consists of three small pieces based on an interweaving and overlapping of simple phrases. ‘No electronic composer has made more poetic uses of the now-common interaction of live musician and electronic circuitry’ - New York Times.
TOM JOHNSON - MUSIC FOR 88 XI RECORDS XI 106.
Simplicity and clarity have always been among Tom Johnson's chief concerns as a composer and has led him to research number theory, particularly by Pascal, Fermat, and Euclid. Music for 88 is the result of these researches, the sources having suggested musical structures more complicated than those that he has used before. The work contains nine sections (six of which are on this recording), each of which is a musical demonstration of a mathematical phenomenon. ‘Here, for once, is not the cry of the human heart, but the design of what's out there...Make of it what you will, but it will be around for a few billion years yet’ - London Independent.
CASPAR - KLAUS JANEK SOLPONTICELLO SP-004.
The Italian-born 5-string double bass player Klaus Janek performs an album of hugely imaginative solo music that translates the thoughts and sensory inundation lived by Kaspar Hauser, the tragic historic figure released from imprisonment to a world of sights, smells and sounds never even suggested in the privation of his cell. Elaborate and highly sensual sounds.
RECORDED MESSAGES: VIOLIN MOVE MD 3234.
Australian composer Eve Duncan commissioned violinists from Austria, China, Japan as well as Australia, to record her compositions, now compiled on this CD. The violin can be heard solo, with piano, percussion, traditional Chinese instruments and didjeridu, and in works for quartet and orchestra. Each piece is an exploration of the worlds that are not accessible directly through the senses and these spiritual landscapes were journeys for the composer which ignite an inward journey for the listener. The performers include Helfried Fister, Kaixiang LI, Timothy Veldman, Tom E Lewis (didjeridu) and the Saito String Quartet. ‘The enchanting music of Eve Duncan makes Recorded Messages: Violin a captivating collection’ - The Star.
INTERNAL COMBUSTION - IUP WIND ENSEMBLE KLAVIER K 11119.
Jack Stamp conducts the Indiana University of Pennsyvania Wind Ensemble in a selection of enjoyable works by modern American composers. These include Jack Stamp himself (Aubrey Fanfare), Robert Linn (Partita), Nancy Galbraith (Elfin Thunderbolt), Bruce Yurko (Chant and Toccata), Aldo Fore (Synergy!) and David Amram (En Memoria de Chano Pozo). The brilliant title piece, Internal Combustion, was written by David Gillingham in 2000 to celebrate one hundred years of the American automobile in suitably mechanistic style.
JOHN BUTCHER - FIXATIONS EMANEM 4045.
These improvisations for soprano and tenor saxophones by John Butcher combine the influence of John Cage with more traditional concerns such as line, pacing and flow. The pieces include Woodland Drift, The Train and the Gate (parts 1 and 2), Nearly Art and Flag a Ride.
JOHN RUSSELL & ROGER TURNER - THE SECOND SKY EMANEM 4058.
John Russell (acoustic plectrum guitar) and Roger Turner (drumset and percussion) perform nine fascinating, freely improvised pieces that include Fire at my Ribs, Piercing the Second Sky, Parapet, Slowly Burning Word and The Dodger.
WALKING TUNE - CHARLES AMIRKHANIAN STARKLAND ST-206.
The main work here is Amirkhanian’s wonderfully elegiac Walking Tune (A Room-Music for Percy Grainger), rightly described by Laurie Anderson as ‘Descriptive, specific, lush, and oddly exotic.’ Other works include the invigorating Chu Lu Lu (49 seconds long) and Gold and Spirit (in which group cheers are based on artists’ names). ‘Charles Amirkhanian is a highly imaginative sound poet of the first order’ - Stereo Revew.
MUSICA VIVA CONDUCTED BY PIERRE BOULEZ COL LEGNO 2CD 20084-2.
This double-CD live recording (Volume 4) is part of col legno’s excellent musica viva München and contains a wide range of modern music together with an anonymus 14th century work (La Messe de Tournai, arranged by Hans Blümer). The other compositions are by Stravinsky (The Flood), Messiaen (Oiseaux Exotiques) and Bartok (Cantata Profana). Pierre Boulez brilliantly conducts the Münchner Chorbuben (Fritz Rothschuh, chorusmaster), the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Kurt Prestel, chorusmaster) and the Symphony Orchestra des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
MUSIC FOR A SUMMER EVENING - GEORGE CRUMB COL LEGNO 1CD 20023.
The highly individual style of George Crumb (born in1929) is prominent in these three fascinating compositions. As well as Music for a Summer Evening: Macrocosmos III (for two amplified pianos and percussion) they include two works for solo piano A Little Suite for Christmas A.D. 1979 and Five Pieces for Piano. The pianists on this recording are Peter Degenhardt and Fuat Kent (also the artistic director), and the percussionists are Carmen Erb and Hans-Peter Achberger.
TOG - AN UNACCEPTABLE COLOR SOLPONTICELLO SP-003.
Tog, consisting of Robert Duckworth and Roddy Schrock, create wonderfully imaginative electronic sounds. The pieces show the influence of Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez and reveal Tog’s remarkable levels of control over technology to produce boiling cauldrons of warm, vivid and enriching sounds.
A PEACOCK SOUTHEAST FLEW - NANCY VAN DE VATE VMM 3043.
This fascinating collection of pieces by the highly individual composer Nancy Van de Vate includes the title work (a concerto for pipa and orchestra, soloist Gao Hong), Western Front, Concerto for Harp (soloist Adriana Antalova) and the Choral Suite from ‘Nemo’ (with boy soprano Vojtech Dyk). The Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra is conducted by Jiri Mikula and Toshiyuki Shimada.
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