VA - Transition and Apotheosis (2024) [Hi-Res]

Society of Composers, Inc. presents 10 works from boundary-defying composers on TRANSITION AND APOTHEOSIS, the 35th installment of their celebrated Composers’ Series.

Carnyx from Chris Arrell employs the carnyx, the ceremonial and battle trumpet used by Iron Age Celts, to conjure the terror of an army encroaching through the morning mist. Jiyoun Chung’s Scissors is a fantasia-toccata for solo piano inspired by the traditional Korean Scissors dance. 24/7 by Yunfei Li honors the healthcare professionals who served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Transition and Apotheosis from Mike McFerron is a multichannel fixed media piece that maps Danish composer Per Nørgård’s “infinity sequence” to sound elements. Paul Lombardi’s Unwoven incorporates the fractal-like technique used in his past pieces to startling new effects. Robert McClure’s struggling in excess decries the vast amounts of waste humans produce on a daily basis. glass, evaporate[d] from Droki Ouro is a hauntingly beautiful reimagining of 2019’s lips evaporate. William Price’s Sans Titre VII (B) is a modified variation-rondo that explores the wide range, technical agility, and unique extended techniques offered by the saxophone. Der Saus und Braus by Joseph Klein is the sixteenth in a series of short works for solo instruments based on characters in Elias Canetti’s Der Ohrenzeuge: Fünfzig Charaktere (Earwitness: Fifty Characters). Finally, Ania Vu’s Tik-Tak sets the composer’s Polish poem to remind us of the relentless flow of time.

SCI renews its decades-long mission to promote and disseminate contemporary music in this Navona Records release.