Journal
- Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Composer Donnacha Dennehy, whose piece Land of Winter, performed by Alarm Will Sound and conductor Alan Pierson, was released earlier this month on Nonesuch, shares some insight on the work, which explores the subtleties of Ireland’s seasons via twelve connected sections representing the months of the year, in a new essay. "It is the varying quality of light that truly demarcates the seasons," he says, "from the shorter days of grey or piercing light in the winter to the warmer but mercurial light of summer days that at solstice stretch almost to midnight. I like this play between light and time, and it is the major inspiration behind the piece."
Journal Topics: Artist Essays, Artist News
- Friday, April 19, 2019
Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw’s Orange, performed by Attacca Quartet, is out now on New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records. Orange, which features six of Shaw’s pieces for string quartet, is the first full-length album to exclusively feature works by Shaw. "Completely gorgeous in so many ways," exclaims BBC Radio 3. "It hits you everywhere, all at once." "A love letter to the string quartet," says NPR. "[W]hen you hear all the imaginative sounds on Orange, you know you're listening to the voice of a strong composer."
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist NewsFriday, April 19, 2019Singer Mandy Patinkin and pianist/producer Thomas Bartlett's Diary: December 2018, the third in their Diary series of musical installments, is out now on Nonesuch. The digital release’s eleven songs were recorded by the two musicians in Bartlett’s New York studio last December and include two songs written by Patinkin himself plus songs by Paul Simon, Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), Randy Newman, Biff Rose, Teitur, and John Grant. A thirty-city Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Diaries begins in October 2019; details will be announced this summer.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist News, VideoThursday, April 18, 2019Nonesuch Records looks forward to returning to The Brooklyn Flea Record Fair for its spring 2019 edition, at East River State Park in Williamsburg, on Saturday, May 18, from 11am to 6pm. The free event includes DJ sets, a beer garden, and a record label and independent record store market, and is situated next to Smorgasburg and its delicious food and drink options. Stop by the Nonesuch table then to say hi and pick up copies of your favorite Nonesuch vinyl releases, limited-edition prints, exclusive vinyl samplers, tote bags, and more.
Journal Topics: NewsThursday, April 18, 2019Stephin Merritt will perform original music he has written to score a screening of Tod Browning's 1925 silent film The Unholy Three, starring Lon Cheney, at The Town Hall in NYC on May 18, 2019. The Magnetic Fields front man will be joined by accordionist and novelist Daniel Handler (A Series of Unfortunate Events) and violist Pinky Weitzman for the one-night-only event. This is Merritt's first live silent-film scoring event on the East Coast, following his successful live score to two other Tod Browning films at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 2010 and 2014.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On TourWednesday, April 17, 2019The BBC Proms 2019 season includes Jonny Greenwood, who leads a late-night concert, Prom 70, at Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday, September 10. He has curated a program of pieces by Biber and Krzysztof Penderecki, Steve Reich's Pulse, and Greenwood's own works, including the world premiere of his new piece, Horror vacui. Greenwood will perform with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Four on Friday, September 13. General booking begins on May 11.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On TourWednesday, April 17, 2019Composer-performer Daniel Wohl's album État will be released May 31, 2019, on New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records. The album features electro-acoustic pieces written by Wohl, and includes guest performances by Poliça's Channy Leaneagh with co-production by Son Lux's Ryan Lott and mmph. État, recorded with members of yMusic and the Calder Quartet, explores new dimensions of production. Pre-order to download the track "Melt" now.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist NewsTuesday, April 16, 2019Attacca Quartet performed music from Caroline Shaw’s Orange live at The Greene Space in NYC last Friday, ahead of the album’s release this coming Friday. The performance was streamed live via WNYC's New Sounds and can be seen again in full here. Shaw was the featured artist on the first episode in the new series of BBC Radio 3’s Unclassified, showcasing "genre-exploding new music for curious ears, hearts and minds," on Sunday. "I love it ... absolutely gorgeous music," says presenter Elizabeth Alker, who gave the radio premiere plays of two album tracks.
Journal Topics: Artist News, Radio, VideoTuesday, April 16, 2019Sam Amidon, who begins a North American tour next week, stopped by Fretboard Journal to perform "Juma Mountain," from his album The Following Mountain, with saxophonist Sam Gendel. Watch it here. Amidon also spoke with the site's podcast about his music, touring, and more. The tour starts in Minneapolis on April 25, with stops in Davenport, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Toronto, and Hamilton, Ontario. He returns to North America in June for a concert with Kronos Quartet and a tour as special guest of Bruce Hornsby.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On Tour, VideoFriday, April 12, 2019Record Store Day, the annual celebration of independent record stores, is this Saturday, April 13, and included among the special releases on that day is Emmylou Harris's The Studio Albums, 1980–83, a new vinyl collection featuring five classic titles—Roses in the Snow, Evangeline, Cimarron, Last Date, and White Shoes—plus a bonus 45 RPM of "That Lovin' Feeling Again” with Roy Orbison b/w "Mr. Sandman." The collection will receive a limited release of 1,100.
Journal Topics: Album Release, Artist NewsFriday, April 12, 2019Attacca Quartet performs Caroline Shaw’s Orange in live-streamed NYC event … Sam Amidon, Gabriel Kahane play Little Waves in Belgium … Tyondai Braxton is at Duke … Kronos Quartet live-scores documentary in Detroit … Lake Street Dive begins European tour in Vienna, Munich … Brad Mehldau Trio is in St. Louis … Chris Thile hosts Live From Here from NYC … Caetano Veloso continues US tour in Brooklyn … Yola plays Ramblin' Roots Revue in UK …
Journal Topics: On Tour, Weekend EventsFriday, April 12, 2019Lake Street Dive begins a two-week European tour in Vienna on Saturday. The twelve-city tour, featuring music from the band's latest album, Free Yourself Up, continues with shows in Germany, France, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the UK.
Journal Topics: Artist News, On TourThursday, April 11, 2019David Byrne's Nonesuch debut album, Grown Backwards—which Pitchfork said "fits alongside the best of his career"—turned fifteen in March and made its vinyl debut then. We've put together a brief visual history of the album with archival audio, prototype album art, songwriting inspirations, and a timeline of milestone moments. You can watch Grown Backwards: A Visual History here.
Journal Topics: Artist News, Video