Brutal New Music Reviews

 Melissa Dunphy - I am the World I am the World  is an exceptional example of how a composer can use age old compositional techniques and create something brand new.  I am the World , commissioned by BBC Radio 3, was premiered in London by the BBC Singers , led by Grace Rossiter , on March 8, during a program to celebrate International Women's Day. The entire concert, which includes four world premieres, can be streamed on the BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert (click here ). Dr.  Melissa Dunphy is a Philadelphia based composer and performer specializing in vocal and political music. For I am the World , she adapted the poetry of Irish poet Dora Sigerson Shorter, written in 1898. In I am the World , Dunphy gives herself a chance to show off her prowess in counterpoint, text setting, and choral scoring.  I am the World  opens with immediate imitation in the lower voices, giving the audience a chance to both grasp the text, as "I shall arise" is repeated multiple...

 Andrey Stolyarov - ...in peace ...in peace  combines the glossy reverberations of a church choir with the icy metal of a sustaining vibraphone, resulting in music which is as peaceful as it is bewitching. ...in peace is an ethereal, resonant work for double SATB choir and vibraphone. Russian-American composer Andrey Stolyarov 's was inspired by both Anne Brontë's "Self-Communion" and Sara Teasdale's "Peace", combining the two texts into one musical setting. The piece was commissioned and premiered by CONCORA , of which Stolyarov is a member, one of the top professional choirs in New England. ...in peace  is a deliberately gentle work, with Stolyarov being obviously influenced by the contemporary world of choral composition, most notably by the likes of Eric Whitacre. The entire work revolves around the opening vibraphone gesture, setting up the hollow sound of a D to A open fifth, and very gradually expands its harmonic content. One of Stolyarov's m...

 Elliot Roman - Tzirklshpitz Tzirklshpitz  employed intense rhythms and intricate meter changes to continually excite the listener and keep momentum all the way to the final snap pizzicato. Tzirklshpitz , a winner of the 2021 BMI Student Composer Awards , is an insightful and engaging orchestral fanfare by the young composer Elliot Roman . Throughout the work, Roman flaunts his exquisite control of orchestration and timbre, quite a feat considering the expansive size of the agglomeration of brass, winds, strings, and percussion on stage. Roman's short usages of solo violin and violoncello clearly stuck out as effective, thought-out timbral nuances. He did not fall into many  student composer pitfalls commonly heard in new works for full orchestra. The only aspect of his orchestrational language which was not incredibly effective, was the overuse of the solo piano. The specific orchestration, lacking doublings in most lines, does make the piece significantly harder on the ...

 Himmelsrandt - Allusionen Despite being meant as references, or allusions, to particular musical styles, Himmelsrandt's songs never seem mindlessly derivative nor parodic, but rather authentic interpretations of classical music in a modern world. Allusionen , German for allusion, is the title of Himmelsrandt 's latest chilling album release. The approximately forty-minute long album is comprised of nine tracks, alternating between pieces for piano and Trautonium, an early synthesizer, and songs for unaccompanied viola. Himmelsrandt is the name under which composer/violist Peter Honsalek writes and releases his work, described as a "modern classical music project". Honsalek's writing is reminiscent of many clichés which come to mind when imagining 'contemporary classical music', but is soundly rooted in traditional practice and musical integrity (listen to the entire album here ). Alternating between the sound worlds of two contrasting solo instruments is ...

 Elainie Lillios - Among Fireflies Among Fireflies sets up an implied musical story within the first minute, and not following through is a disadvantage to the work as a whole. Elainie Lillios’ Among Fireflies for alto flute and live electronics begins with an unsettling flurry of air noises. The entirety of the work is comprised of alternating sections, the first of which is the loud, noisy opening, and the second is a gentle, mysterious melody which floats in around the 01:45 mark of the video. Lillios spends the rest of the piece slowly combining these two timbral ideas, as the electronics continue to invade the sounds of the flute. It is interesting how Lillios is able to create multiple countermelodies underneath the solo flute, especially the low quasi-bassline.  Some of the electronics seem random and unrelated to the music. There are multiple sound effects, such as bird calls, which simply do not always fit. Among Fireflies sets up an implied musical story within the f...

 Elainie Lillios - Undertow Undertow’s build up is so fluidly natural that one does not recognize the crazy takeover by the live electronics until it is almost too late. Undertow is a simply gorgeous work for bass clarinet and live electronics. Lillios creates a sound world which is dependent on the max patch while still feeling natural to the acoustic instrument. I think this occurs due to the patch material being reliant upon the performer’s input and the length of time it takes for the work to fully develop. The undulating resonance and feedback in the electronics contribute to Lillios’ exploration of multiphonics which fit well on the instrument. The slow-moving pool of sound is gradually broken by the introduction of short, low slaps, which are then bounced around in the electronics like a pebble thrown into a still lake (listen to the full performance here ). Undertow’s build up is so fluidly natural that one does not recognize the crazy takeover by the live electronics until...

 Jeff Herriott - at the whim of the current Herriott truly desired to create a wash of sound over the audience, which never completely dies. at the whim of the current , as its namesake suggests, takes the audience on a hypnotic ride down the vast river of sound created by the amplified vibraphone. Herriott uses alternating timbres, two different mallets and a bow, and has the pedal held down for the entire duration of the work. These together with the electronics suggest that Herriott truly desired to create a wash of sound over the audience, which never completely dies. It takes a thoughtful performer to be able to musically interpret this slow-moving music. By the time Lacerda plays the final, incredibly tonal cadence which outlines a major triad, we feel a complete and utter serenity to the current (watch the performance here ).