Paul Novak - Dialogues in Black and White Winner of the 2022 NACUSA   (National Association of Composers/USA) Composition Competition, Paul Novak 's Dialogues in Black and White for solo piano, originally composed in 2019, is a ten minute long journey through the entire range of the piano. Dialogues  opens with eerie rumblings, emanating from deep within the boughs of the resonant instrument. This low, squirrelly motive creates a texture which continues for the work's entirety. Novak quickly alternates between the extreme low and high registers of the piano, literally jerking the audience around. The  Dialogues ' consistent repetition turns tiresome after some time. Novak attempts to distract us by slightly changing the textures, but never enough to actually bring us somewhere new. Starting in the second half of the piece, Novak introduces an annoying, rhythmic hammering on the highest key of the piano. At first it excites and propels the piece, but a...

 Stephanie Lamprea - 14 R​é​citations by Georges Aperghis Stephanie Lamprea  is a true tour de force in the field of contemporary vocal music, having tackled almost all major works in the genre. Her latest album, a complete rendition of Georges Aperghis ' 14 Récitations , redefines the theatrical and timbral expectations of a traditional soprano. The concert-length song cycle for unaccompanied female voice presents the soloist as insane, futilely attempting to communicate with an unseen audience. Lamprea's dramatic range comes to the forefront in her recording, making the ultra-modernist work interesting even in its non-staged format, uncommon in much of Aperghis' rarely recorded works. The 14  Récitations , with Aperghis' background being in experimental theatre, are theatrical in nature, and Lamprea's approach to the entire cycle will certainly be the defining recording for decades to come. 14  Récitations is released by New Focus Recordings . Listen to the entire...