International Contemporary Ensemble ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR Aequa

AEQUA presents a varied constellation of recent chamber pieces for smaller forces by composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir — ranging from solo piano to string ensemble — orbiting the large ensemble work “Aequilibria.” The album takes the listener on a journey through Thorvaldsdottir's distinctive soundworld, where sounds and nuances are as much part of the meticulously structured tapestry of the music as harmonies and lyrical material. The works are performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble, with two works conducted by Steven Schick and a work for solo piano performed by Cory Smythe. 

“Internally, I hear sounds and nuances as musical melodies and in my music I weave various textures of sounds together with harmonies and pitched lyrical material. The music is written as an ecosystem of sounds and materials that are carried from one performer — or performers — to the next throughout a progress of a work. As a performer plays a phrase, harmony, texture or a lyrical line it is being delivered to another performer as it transforms and develops, passed on to be carried through until it is passed on again to yet another. All materials continuously grow in and out of each other, growing and transforming throughout the piece. 

My music is often inspired in an important way by nature and its many qualities, but I do not strive to describe or literally incorporate elements from nature in my music. To me, the qualities of the music are first and foremost musical — so when I am inspired by a particular element that I perceive in nature, it is because I perceive it as musically interesting. The qualities I tend to be inspired by are often structural, like proportion and flow, as well as relationships of balance between details within a larger structure, and how to move in perspective between the two — the details and the unity of the whole.” (Anna Thorvaldsdottir)

International Contemporary Ensemble ANNA THORVALDSDOTTIR In The Light Of Air

You could say composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir is a bit of an ice sculptor. No, not the frozen water type of ice—the musical type of ICE. The Icelandic composer recently collaborated with ICE, the International Contemporary Ensemble, to create a new four-movement chamber work titled “In the Light of Air.” 

And while we’re on the topic of ICE, let it be known that they are not your average ensemble. With a modular makeup of 35 leading instrumentalists, the group performs contemporary classical music in forces ranging from solos to large ensembles. In fact, they make it their mission to advance the music of the 21th century by pioneering new musical works and multimedia strategies for audience engagement. 

 In 2011 they created ICElab, an innovative new musical project which places teams of ICE musicians in collaboration with emerging composers to develop works that push the boundaries of the classical genre. 

 ICE’s latest album, titled “In the Light of Air: ICE Performs Anna Thorvaldsdottir,” is just a single product of that collaborative project. The album features two gorgeously enigmatic pieces: “In the Light of Air” for viola, cello, harp, piano, percussion, and electronics, and “Transitions” for solo cello. The performers on the album are ICE members Kyle Armbrust on viola, Michael Nicolas on cello, Nuiko Wadden on harp, Cory Smythe on piano, and Nathan Davis on percussion.

The title track is a tetralogy of works that together form a unified structure—the four main movements are connected by texturally fascinating transitions and framed by a prologue and epilogue. The first movement is an airy, delicate sound world aptly titled “Luminance.” The percussion and electronics provide a slowly rumbling bass part beneath a gradually shifting texture of sound materials, melodic fragments, and harmonies.

The second movement, titled “Serenity,” is an entire ocean of sound: infinitely varied yet beautifully unified in its ever-changing timbres and textures. The translucent calm sparkles with gorgeous harp details and gentle piano echoes, the vast and limitless soundscape punctuated with delicate, misty whispers of simple melodies.

The third movement is much shorter than the rest. Clocking in at less than four minutes, “Existence” is a slow and pensive journey, each bow stroke in the strings a deliberate, measured step through an atmospheric sound mass of deep drones and rumbling echoes.

The piece ends with “Remembrance,” a movement which delicately balances the lyrical, long-breathed melodies of the strings with the harmonic depth of piano and the textural interest of percussion. In fact, the percussion part features an installation of metallic ornaments which Thorvaldsdottir designed specifically for use in this particular movement. The ornaments, called Klakabönd (which is Icelandic for “a bind of ice”), were created by artist Svana Jósepsdóttir.

 The other piece on the album is “Transitions,” which was commissioned by cellist Michael Nicolas in 2014. The single movement work explores the theme of man and machine, both of which are represented through contrasting cello parts. Nicolas soars through the organic lyricism and expressive melodies of man while also excelling at the metallic timbres and technical accuracy of machine. Through his sensitive balance and imaginative interpretation of each role, he showcases the cello’s rich tone, wide pitch range, and stunning timbral depth. (Maggie Molloy)

Hilary Hahn IN 27 PIECES (The Hilary Hahn Encores)

Encores are addictive. Witty, moving, and challenging, they have been offered to enthusiastic audiences by the greatest musicians throughout history. The majority of the encores that we violinists learn today were shaped by the performers who preceded us. Their pieces are our classics. With so many to choose among, you might wonder why I am adding more. Toward the end of the twentieth century, those marvelous old chestnuts enjoyed a revival by way of remastered historical recordings, new albums, and printed collections. Contemporary encores, however, were not featured, nor were they commissioned with any frequency. I was intrigued by the future of the genre and how composers might wish to redefine the form. When I pictured a novel set of favorite miniatures catching on – pieces crafted by today’s minds – the idea of a commissioned-encores project planted itself in my head. The problem was that I had no starting point and couldn’t anticipate where such an undertaking would lead me. “Begin anywhere” is a famous nugget of advice from John Cage. I “began anywhere” multiple times, over the course of several years. One day, it dawned on me that I’d been agonizing over what I was supposed to do, instead of following my instincts. I sat down to revisit contemporary music that had been recommended to me. arked in front of my computer, I looked up each composer and clicked on links to their repertoire, colleagues, and influences. Mesmerized by the wealth of creativity I found, I listened for hours, until the sun started to rise. Uncovering works that I’d never imagined existed was intoxicating. In the months that followed, amply fueled by tea and chocolate, I searched every source I could, devouring sound samples available online. When a piece grabbed me, my breath would catch, and the urge to collaborate with that composer on this project was visceral. Then it was time for the next step. I made more than two dozen nerve-wracking cold calls to composers I hoped would create new encores. It was impossible to predict how anyone would respond. As it turned out, every conversation introduced me to a fascinating person. Twenty-six composers signed on. I gave them two parameters: each piece should be under five minutes and for acoustic violin and piano. (If an interpretation were to stretch a minute here and there, that would be alright.) (Hilary Hhan)