Luke Cissell Is Joyfully All Over the Map with ‘Thinking/Feeling’
Musical polymath and classical composer Luke Cissell releases another album that's impossible to categorize but very easy to love.
modern classical
20 Questions: Kaada
From quirky pop to classically-affected modern compositions, John Erik Kaada has returned with his first solo album in nine years, so wants to do what any regarded musician would: talk about Homer Simpson and Norwegian environmental policies.
Jean-Michel Blais Takes Things into His Own Hand(s) on ‘Dans Ma Main’
Jean-Michel Blais manages to transform simple motifs into weightless complex structures into (as Paul Simon noted in a different context) "angels in the architecture".
Ketil Bjørnstad’s Beautiful Ode to Solitary Travel
Pianist Ketil Bjørnstad, singer Anneli Drecker, and poet Lars Saabye Christensen have created an unassuming masterpiece with A Suite of Poems.
Partners in Dissonance: Michael Gordon and the Kronos Quartet Team Up for ‘Clouded Yellow’
On-and-off collaborators since 2001, the Kronos Quartet and Bang on a Can co-founder Michael Gordon present an arresting collection of their shared works.
All Four of Arvo Pärt’s Symphonies Are Brought Together to Show Us a Fascinating Journey
Arvo Pärt's symphonies have sometimes been dismissed as too bracing and academic to be enjoyed on a basic appreciative level. This new set from ECM seeks to prove otherwise.
Cal Raasay Shows Off the Grand Majesty of the Scottish Landscape on “After All” (premiere)
Cal Raasay has a flair for taking the simplest of ideas and finding its emotional heart as we hear on the stunningly beautiful "After All".
Hior Chronik Creates Moody and Ambient Composition on ‘Out of the Dust’
Rich in ambience and atmosphere, Hior Chronik's Out of the Dust is an ideal record for those who don't mind slight variations on a dreamlike theme.
Nils Frahm Shakes Up His Sound on Wholly Immersive New Album ‘All Melody’
All Melody is as artistic an album as anything Nils Frahm has created before, owing as much to abstract art as classical music.
Jenny Lin: Philip Glass: Complete Etudes for Piano (album review)
With virtuosic technique and poetic musicality, Jenny Lin's Philip Glass: Complete Etudes for Piano is a required recording for new music aficionados.
Michael Vincent Waller: Trajectories
Composer Michael Vincent Waller just keeps on writing, even when trying to settle on instrument arrangements.
Conrad Winslow: The Perfect Nothing Catalog
With The Perfect Nothing Catalog, composer Conrad Winslow explores attention and arrangement with assistance from the Cadillac Moon Ensemble and Aaron Roche.