Kelley O'Connor, Robert Spano - Songs of Orpheus (2025) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. 3 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 1, La flûte de pan
02. 3 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 2, La chevelure
03. 3 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 3, Le tombeau des naïades
04. Sonnets to Orpheus: No. 1, Da stieg ein Baum
05. Sonnets to Orpheus: No. 2, Ein Gott vermags
06. Sonnets to Orpheus: No. 3, Atmen, du unsichtbares Gedicht!
07. Sonnets to Orpheus: No. 4, Heil dem Geist, der uns verbinden mag
08. Sonnets to Orpheus: No. 5, Stiller Freund der vielen Fernen
09. 3 Early Songs: No. 1, Night
10. 3 Early Songs: No. 2, Let It Be Forgotten
11. 3 Early Songs: No. 3, Wind Elegy
12. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 1, Det syng
13. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 2, Veslemøy
14. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 3, Bläbær-li
15. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 4, Møte
16. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 5, Elsk
17. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 6, Killingdans
18. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 7, Vond Dag
19. Haugtussa, Op. 67: No. 8, Bed Gjætle-Bekken

American composer Austin Wulliman is a violinist of the avant-garde-oriented JACK Quartet, and this is his second album of music where he is the composer as well as a player. All the works here are by Wulliman himself, except for the finale, John Cage's Totem Ancestor, which he originally wrote for prepared piano. Cage is one ancestor for the music here, for some of his music, even before he entered the sphere of total randomness, explored a sense of unpredictability lurking in the essence of musical materials, and this is what Wulliman's music is about. Wulliman provides notes himself, referring not to technical procedures but rather partly to impressions from a view of the sea. The music is wavelike, regular yet shifting constantly as it goes along, with unexpected appearances of pizzicato. These descriptions pertain most plainly to the main works on the album, the 22 1/2-minute Escape Rites. A bit of sampling will tell listeners whether they want to explore more of the music here, but sample well; it will become clear that the JACK Quartet is in total control of what is happening. The music is exploratory but not improvisatory. A plus is the sound engineering from Oktaven Audio in suburban New York, where the album was recorded over a pair of occasions; the subtle string effects in the music make heavy demands on the sound engineering, and these are met.

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