As purveyors of contemporary music, or perhaps more accurately “current music," with a growing and increasingly adventurous audience, we are wholeheartedly committed to the creation and cultivation of new and diverse types of music. An essential part of this process is providing bridges and context for new listeners to discover and appreciate what could sometimes be considered "challenging" music. Context that we will attempt (<—key word) to provide through our 'Extra-curricular Listening' blog series.
For each concert we will provide some extracurricular listening (or watching) and some rabbit holes for LM super fans to excavate and discover their own exciting but perhaps obscure corner of the music world.
For this week's show we asked Chris Campbell from innova Recordings to use his encylopedic knowledge of innova Records to put together a playlist to pair with this weeks Liquid Music Series show || Miranda Cuckson: Sun Propeller
MIranda Cuckson: Sun Propeller
By Chris Campbell
“Her tonal luster and variety of touch enliven everything she plays.” – The New York Times
“One of the most sensitive and electric interpreters of new music.” – Downbeat Magazine
American Composers Forum and innova recordings are happy to be partnering up with Liquid Music on a few of this season’s shows. On this playlist you’ll hear sounds that pair well with what this weekend's show. From the languid, post-minimal string writing of Jane Antonia Cornish, to long electronic brush strokes by Paula Matthusen to the prog/jazz stylings of Gordon Beeferman’s band, this is music for you to explore and get lost in pre-show, post-show or any other time you want.
NYC based, UK born and trained composer Jane Antonia Cornish recently released Continuum with Decoda, a fluid virtuoso roster-ed chamber ensemble in NYC. "These four world premiere recordings of chamber works explore terrain as disparate as the cyclic nature of the ocean’s tides, our relationship to space and memory, and deep connections to place" - Cornish re: Continuum. (Innova)
In this piece written for violin, piano, glasses, and electronics from 2008, Composer Paula Matthusen harnesses the talents of violinist Todd Reynolds and pianist Yvonne Troxler to explore ideas about memory through repetition and erasure alongside a bed of miniature electronics. (Innova)
Patrick Castillo's The Quality of Mercy, offers an abstract meditation on reconciliation. Deriving musical and structural content from plainchant (the Kyrie from the Mass for Pentecost), The Merchant of Venice, birdsongs, urban field recordings, and other sources. (Innova)
Four Parts Five consist of composer Gordon Beeferman (on piano and Hammond B3 organ), Peter Hess (woodwinds), Anders Nilsson (electric guitar), James Ilgenfritz (bass), and Adam Gold (drums), the album’s four pieces showcase tight, disciplined ensemble playing that spans the sparse, punctuated spaces of “1” and the spiraling, expansive curls of “4” with equal facility. (Innova)
Some great videos of Miranda for those unfamiliar with her significant body of work:
Violinist Miranda Cuckson embraces even the sharpest, most unapproachable-seeming pieces, conveying the music with such palpable control and insight that it's as if she's holding the door into these worlds open for the audience. When work is at its most forbidding, she grabs the flashlight that is her skill and artistry and leads the way through.
Miranda Cuckson, violinist, plays Etchings
Violinist Miranda Cuckson talks about her collaboration with composer and pianist Michael Hersch
One of the best ways to keep up with artists and new music these days is through social media—follow and share if you find something you love!
Follow Liquid Music for updates and insights:
Twitter: @LiquidMusicSPCO
(twitter.com/LiquidMusicSPCO)
Instagram: @LiquidMusicSeries
(instagram.com/liquidmusicseries)
Innova:
www.innova.mu
@innovadotmu
soundcloud.com/innovadotmu
Miranda Cuckson:
www.mirandacuckson.com
Twitter: @MirandaViolin
Nina Young:
ninacyoung.com
Twitter/Instagram: @ComposerNina
Be sure to share your own discoveries and thoughts in the comments below.