The Merian Ensemble - The Book of Spells (2024) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. The Book of Spells: I. Love and Relationships "The Siren’s Seduction"
02. The Book of Spells: II. Wealth and Prosperity "Spell of Summon Greed"
03. The Book of Spells: III. Health and Well-Being "A Spell for Global Healing"
04. The Sound of Light
05. Small World
06. Atalanta
07. Meridian
08. Children of Conflict: A Boy and a Makeshift Toy (Arr. for Chamber Ensemble by Elisabeth Remy Johnson)
09. Solais
10. Alis volat propriis
11. Just Another Climb

Passion and intellect meld in THE BOOK OF SPELLS, the Merian Ensemble’s hotly anticipated debut album. The album is comprised entirely of world premiere recordings, with works by Clarice Assad, Nicole Chamberlain, Jennifer Higdon, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Soon Hee Newbold, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Lynne Plowman, each but one* commissioned by the Merian Ensemble. The Book of Spells offers a gripping and intimate portrait of modern chamber music, performed with brilliance and precision by an ensemble of world-class soloists who are dedicated to the elevation of women’s voices in classical music.

Clarice Assad’s titular composition, The Book of Spells, opens the recording with three movements “inspired by rituals that deal with magic, which is done to achieve a particular goal, righteous or wicked” (Assad). The album continues, weaving together elements of folklore, faith, and science, with Nicole Chamberlain’s Atalanta, Lynne Plowman’s Small World, Jennifer Higdon’s The Sound of Light, Mary Kouyoumdjian’s A Boy and a Makeshift Toy*, Kimberly Osberg’s Just Another Climb, Soon Hee Newbold’s Alis Volat Propriis (She Flies With Her Own Wings), and Clarice Assad’s Solais. And in meridian, Leilehua Lanzilotti explores the themes of metamorphosis, inspired by the Merian Ensemble’s namesake, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717), a German entomologist, naturalist, and scientific illustrator, whose work is featured on the album’s cover and book.

Taken as a whole, The Book of Spells offers a finely-drawn portrait of 21st century chamber music — the compelling repertoire, composers, and performers — while also highlighting the still-underrepresented voices of women in classical music.

*Mary Kouyoumdjian’s A Boy and a Makeshift Toy was originally commissioned by Michael Hall as a piece for viola and piano; it is presented here in a new Merian Ensemble arrangement.

Clarice Assad composer
Nicole Chamberlain composer
Jennifer Higdon composer
Mary Kouyoumdjian composer
Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti composer
Soon Hee Newbold composer
Kimberly R. Osberg composer
Lynne Plowman composer

The Merian Ensemble
Christina Smith flute
Emily Brebach oboe/English horn
Marci Gurnow clarinet/bass clarinet
Jessica Oudin viola

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