Xak Bjerken, Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, Timothy Weiss - The Oberlin Concertos (2021) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Ship of State: Hanging Breathless
02. Ship of State: in Spite of False Lights on the Shore
03. Ship of State: The Anchors of Thy Hope
04. Ship of State: What Workmen Wrought
05. Where Are We Now: I. We Have Come a Long Way
06. Where Are We Now: II. There Was a Mountain
07. Where Are We Now: III. Microlude
08. Where Are We Now: IV. I Raised My Head
09. Where Are We Now: V. A Doubt
10. Where Are We Now: VI. Microlude
11. Where Are We Now: VII. Let Memory Be
12. Persona Mechanica, Op. 57: I. Giocosa
13. Persona Mechanica, Op. 57: II. Dolente
14. Persona Mechanica, Op. 57: III. Gioiosa



The concept that led to The Oberlin Concertos was initially hatched in a conversation between pianist and educator Xak Bjerken and a former student, Oberlin Conservatory composition professor Jesse Jones. It was Jones who suggested writing a chamber concerto to be premiered by his friend and mentor, and it was Bjerken-a former longtime member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet and a veteran soloist with the L.A. Philharmonic and other ensembles-who was immediately hooked. Their plan gave rise to another commission-for the chair of Oberlin's Composition Department, Grammy Award-winner Stephen Hartke-and then another, for fellow composition faculty member Elizabeth Ogonek. The resulting works were recorded in three sessions over a two-year span, with Bjerken joining forces with Oberlin's Contemporary Music Ensemble and conductor Timothy Weiss in the conservatory's Clonick Hall studio, in addition to presenting the world- premiere performance of each piece on campus.

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