“These three works from Timo Andres showcase the US composer’s distinctive and accomplished musical language… It’s a highly accomplished disc all round.”
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“A vividly immersive thriller... not a word or note is without purpose, and both are captured, if not enhanced, in this richly produced recording.”
In a Grove provides further confirmation of Cerrone's singular gifts and why Christopher Cerrone is justly regarded as one of today's leading composers.
In A Grove is rendered in a taut, mesmeric soundworld featuring a strikingly expressive use of electronics. Eight characters are assigned to four excellent singers who, combined with a subtle-hued Metropolis Ensemble, bring the story grippingly alive within Cerrone’s lushly circular, almost ritualistic harmonic frame.
The way they create a soundscape in the recording really captures the mysterious and immersive spirit of Akutagawa’s work. It’s immersive, it's compulsively listenable.
In A Grove is an engrossing and complete experience... Cerrone evokes the fragility of memory from the outset... Metropolis articulates his economical writing for nine players with vivid nuance.
In A Grove is vividly produced… not a mere document of the premiere, but a creation of its own, carefully considered for the studio… commanding attention until the end.
Our top pick is “In A Grove.” This is an opera that will linger long in my memory. Now it can find a place in your memory with the release of this album. I love it and can’t wait to see a full production (hopefully sooner as opposed to later).
In A Grove provides further confirmation of Cerrone's singular gifts and why he's justly regarded as one of today's leading composers.
Christopher Cerrone’s haunting opera In a Grove is a good example of how to create something original and modern out of a timeless classic. Cerrone’s atmospheric score is deep and magical.
“A mesmerizing debut… In A Grove benefits from the meticulous playing of Metropolis… and imbues the album with a sense of fidelity to its creator’s vision.”
“Entering Telekinesis’ sound world, one feels like an explorer discovering a planet located at the far reaches of a distant galaxy… a journey that is at once exhilarating, terrifying and alienating.”
“A work that pursues not only the strangeness of electronic instruments and acoustic instruments, but also creates an environment where you can coexist in a place where you can feel organically.”
“I don't think there's a more exciting contemporary composer than Tyondai Braxton… The electroacoustic action ebbs and flows, clashing with operatic drama one moment before crocheting a finely-textured silence with Braxton's ominous electronics… The eighty-seven players at work crafted a tremendous sonic adventure.”
Telekinesis has a unique tonal quality characterised by thrilling juxtapositions between electronic and acoustic sounds. An astonishing tour de force that gives new meaning to the word epic. Four stars.
This album has proved seriously addictive; its richly detailed timbre is impossible to resist… endlessly entertaining and beautifully put together.
Metamorphosis is quite lyrical and beautiful, gathering steam and lusciousness until self-infatuated Narcissus disappears into the void.
Samora Pinderhughes’ Grief mixes gospel harmonies, simmering post-hip-hop instrumentals and wounded balladry, the music shudders with outrage and vision.
Phong Tran’s “The Computer Room” transports us back to the days of dial-up through the sounds of early synthesizers, which range from melancholic to ecstatic to warm, heartfelt nostalgia, even in the complete absence of acoustic sound.
The result is a glorious series of electronic soundscapes, each one building a virtual space of their own and further proving the universal emotional impact of melodic sequences and rhythmic structures.