New Arrivals / Last 4 weeks
Cello Unlocked
It is often said that the cello seems like an extension of the human body; the intimate, resonant pairing melds the two into a larger instrument. It is said too that the cello ‘sings’ when played well. In this album, however, it becomes an even larger whole and enters the realm of speech and language, melody and narrative. In the hands (and vocal cords) of Bryan Hayslett, the cello-human bond takes on new dimensions. Cello Unlocked is a foray into the synthesis of language and melody, blurring t…
Curva Triangulus
'Curva Triangulus' is a superb composition from 2021 by Catherine Lamb, written for and played by Ensemble Proton, who are based in Bern, and have access to some of the unusual instruments used in piece, including arciorgano, baroque triple harp, lupophone and contraforte. More details about the piece can be found in Catherine Lamb's and Richard Haynes's sleevenotes, which are included as bonus items with the music.
Outermost Melodies
Double CD of percussion works by Jürg Frey, featuring definitive recordings of works composed between 1994 and 2022. Performed by Ian Antonio, with members of Talujon percussion ensemble on one track. Comes with a pdf of the cover artwork, plus jpegs of the photos used on the cover, and an interview with Ian Antonio about the music
Holde Träume, kehret wieder!
A double album consisting of two versions of Magnus Granberg's 2021 composition 'Holde Träume, kehret wieder!' The first version is for the Nattens inbrott quartet, for which the piece was originally written. The second version, with some extra parts added, is perfomed by Magnus Granberg's longstanding group Skogen, and is performed by a septet. Also includes high-quality jpegs of the superb artwork for the CD by Magnus Gramén, a pdf of the cover artwork and an interview with Magnus Granberg abo…
Nieuw Amsterdam New York
If music grows out of a sense of place, then it follows that related places might have related musics. That idea is the springboard for this album that nods at 400 years of links between two vibrant cities. When the Dutch founded Nieuw Amsterdam in the 17th century, they provided the impetus for the growth of a city that shared many values of its model. The multitude of languages, ethnicities and nationalities, as well as an atmosphere of religious tolerance, made for an astounding uniqueness of…
Where Songs Go at Night
During the Covid doldrums of 2020, the wind faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, like so many of us, experienced acute loneliness and isolation. As musicians accustomed to the musical and social connections that come from the intimate art of chamber music, they longed to channel their creative loss into something meaningful. Bandwidth – a mission as much as a group – emerged to champion chamber repertoire for wind instruments, foster connections between faculty, and provide a mode…
Ice Door
To the bemusement of the rest of us, mathematicians often describe certain equations, processes, and proofs as “elegant,” “beautiful,” or even “sensuous.” Artworks based on algorithms, conversely, might seem less predisposed to such descriptions. But what if those complex calculations actually produced perceptibly emotional qualities? Take, for example, the work of Spanish composer-mathematician Juan J.G. Escudero. His cult classic, Shapes of Inner Timespaces (Neuma 134, 2021), evoked such respo…
River of January
The journey of River of January began in early 1969, when as a freshly arrived 14-year-old from Los Angeles, standing by the ocean in Rio de Janeiro [transl., River of January], Rick Baitz heard a crescendo of rhythmic chanting, followed by a parade of women sashaying down the sidewalk, joyfully singing and swaying to the beat of their own samba. He didn’t know at the time that one day he would write a piece honoring the name of that city, but In 1991 he was commissioned by The Juilliard School …
Plucked & Struck
Plucked & Struck is a collection of works for Celtic (lever) harp and small percussion. Many feature the Orff xylophone, a miniature didactic instrument developed by the German composer Carl Orff in the 1920s as part of his early childhood music education system. This album might be the first to explore the classical compositional potential of this particular combo. The music is deeply rooted in New York City. All three performers—and most of the composers—are from “the world’s borough” of Queen…
The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
After over five decades of making music at, in, and around the piano, Denman Maroney may have left New York for the more rustic climes of a quaint French town, but he has not abandoned his musical ambitions. Choosing March 2020 to travel, and kept in place by the pandemic shutdown, Maroney put down roots that are now flourishing in this double album with fresh local conspirators. Taking John Cage’s prepared piano and Conlon Nancarrow’s rhythmic innovations to new musical territories, Maroney’s p…