In Wet Ink's hands, EMPTYSET is a fascinating little engine of interconnected sounds. SQ3, performed with frightening ease by Mivos, makes the most of the instrumental possibilities while also carrying you through a four-movement narrative. Patrick Higgins - TocsinI was not previously familiar with Higgins, who also works in the realms of math rock and electronic music, so I probably got to this through Mivos Quartet or Wet Ink Ensemble, both of whom perform on this assured and explosive collection of chamber music. It will stay with you - as will the trippy visuals for the 'Psaltriparus minimus mix' of Nocturne, one of the best videos of the year! Whether inventively dissecting ragtime in the nearly club-ready dance rhythms of Nocturne or spiraling into the ether on the yearning title track, brilliantly played by violinist Lilit Hartunian, there's plenty of variety and no shortage of personality on this wonderful album. Kirsten Volness - River RisingOn these six pieces for electronics and mostly solo instruments, Volness displays both a piquant melodic sense and an adventurous command of texture. The album also includes Untouched, another three-movement piece for string quartet, but one in which there are no stopped notes, only the sound of natural strings and harmonics, and a wonderful immersion in the drone and sparkle of these instruments. 5, and is just as lush, elegiac, and architecturally sure as it seemed when I saw the New York premiere performed by the JACK Quartet, who play it here. Lines Made By Walking is also Adams' String Quartet No. While quite a bit shorter than either of those, it is no less satisfying an opportunity to contemplate the wonders of our natural world and Adams' gifts as a composer.

John Luther Adams - Become River and Lines Made By WalkingBecome River, the first of The Become Trilogy to be composed, now receives the same gorgeous treatment from Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony as Become Ocean and Become Desert. Thompson - True Stories & Rational Numbers Jacqueline Leclair - Music For English Horn Aloneĭominique Lemaître - De l’espace trouver la fin et le milieu Sarah Frisof and Daniel Pesca - Beauty Crying Forth: Flute Music By Women Across Time Sarah Kirkland Snider - Mass For The Endangered Michael Hersch - I hope we get a chance to visit soon Lorelei Ensemble - David Lang: Love Fail (Version for Women's Chorus) Roomful Of Teeth - Wally Gunn: The Ascendant Roomful Of Teeth - Michael Harrison: Just Constellations Jobina Tinnemans - Five Thoughts On Everything

The String Orchestra Of Brooklyn - AfterimageĬlarice Jensen - The Experience Of Repetition As Death Richard Valitutto - Nocturnes & Lullabies Listen to excerpts from most of these in this playlist or below.

If you prefer not to acquire music, even as a download, make a donation where it will help.įirst up are links to my posts covering 50+ albums(!) in this sphere, followed by short takes on many other fantastic releases that astonished with their creativity, commitment, and impact. So, if you hear something you like below, consider purchasing it from Bandcamp or another service. Since much of the 'classical' music I listen to is by living composers and performed by non-profit ensembles made up of young musicians, the shutdown of live music has hit them particularly hard.

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