Credits:

Mazzoli, Missy (1980-)

Description:

SACD hybrid disc of works by noted American composer Missy Mazzoli. American composer Missy Mazzoli has been praised for her "apocalyptic imagination" (Alex Ross, "The New Yorker"), and she continues to create works with an elaborate and mysterious sound world that blends indie rock sensibilities with classical musical styles. The New Yorker"). The album features her orchestral and solo works, with a "concerto" for Norwegian violinist Peter Herresthal (1970-), a "champion" of the music of Arne Nurheim, Kaija Saariaho, and Phea Nuagor. The album includes her orchestral and solo pieces. Dark with Excessive Bright" (Dark with Excessive Bright) is an adaptation of the "Double Bass Concerto" she wrote for the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Aurora Orchestra of London at Herresthal's request. The title of the piece was taken from Milton's Paradise Lost. The surreal and evocative words of a man deprived of sight, speaking of the garments of God, are perfectly suited to the hazy, heartbreaking sound of the strings" (Mazzoli).Arrangements for Solo Violin and String Quintet" was co-commissioned by Hellesthal, Tim Weiss, conductor of the Arctic Philharmonic, and the Oberlin Conservatory. Vespers for Violin is a reworking of Vespers for a New Dark Age. Solo violin and "sampled" recordings of keyboards, ancient organ, voice and strings, processed with "electronics," performed together; premiered in 2014, it was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award in the "Contemporary Classical Composition" category. Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) is music in the form of a solar system, "a collection of rococo loops winding around each other in a larger orbit." The title of the piece indicates the double meaning of the old Italian term for the type of music, "sinfonia" and "hurdy-gurdy." It was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and subsequently revised for the Boulder Philharmonic.The title of "These Worlds in Us" was taken from "The Lost Pilot," a poem by James Tate about his father who was killed in World War II. I like the idea that music can transfer the emotions of pain and happiness with just one sound or gesture" (Mazzoli). The piece is dedicated to her father, who served in the Vietnam War. Orpheus Undone is "a 16-minute still of Orpheus's life in a moment, right after he learns of Eurydice's death. Two sections, "Behold the Machine, O Death" and "We of Violence, We Endure," are performed one after the other with phrases from Rilke's "Sonnet to Orpheus. It was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where Mazzoli was composer-in-residence. King International

Tracklisting:

1.Dark with Excessive Bright. Concerto for solo violin and string orchestra
2.Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
3.These Worlds in US
4.Orpheus Undone~Part 1: Behold the Machine, O Death - attacca -
5.Orpheus Undone~Part 2: We of Violence, We Endure
6.Vespers for Violin for solo violin with electronic soundtrack
7.Dark with Excessive Bright