CURRENTS out on Gold Bolus Records 12/6!
CURRENTS
“Currents” features music composed for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and electronics. NCP has commissioned four works by some of today’s most exciting artists:
Olga Bell (formerly of Dirty Projectors and Chairlift), hailed for her “grand compositional ambitions and a dynamic voice” (The New York Times)
Gabrielle Herbst aka GABI (“sublime” -Pitchfork)
David Bird (“vibrant” -Pitchfork; winner of NCP’s 2016 Call for Scores)
Isaac Schankler ("extraordinarily eclectic" -Boston Musical Intelligencer; winner of NCP’s 2016 Call for Scores)
This program includes optional live, 3-D mapped video projections VJ Mamiko Kushida. NCP collaborated with SoHo-based fashion collective Flying Solo to style the musicians.
Program
Zero Initiative OLGA BELL
Where is my voice GABRIELLE HERBST
Cy DAVID BIRD
Artifacts ISAAC SCHANKLER
AUDIO
VIDEO
From the composers:
"My piece is called Zero Initiative, and I’m happy to reveal that it prominently features a “field recording” captured two winters ago, at 2am, from the line outside Output. It’s been incredibly fun and restorative working on this music." -Olga Bell
"Where is my voice investigates the feeling of not being able to speak – when you can’t find the words or space to express those words. It is a piece about breath, vulnerability and inner voices being translated to the outside world. Through an electronic vocal landscape and acoustic chamber music, the work searches for self-expression, communication and inner peace." -Gabrielle Herbst
"Artifacts is in a sense about the collision of time scales that often happens when electronic music and acoustic music meet. Electronic music often asks us to slow down and focus on one particular idea or texture, with minute changes that may take a long time to even become audible. Acoustic music, on the other hand, is often eager to impress or overwhelm us with conflagrations of notes and gestures. When I tried to smoosh these things together, a lot of unexpected byproducts popped out. I decided to keep these artifacts." -Isaac Schankler
"Cy is a muted and intricate work inspired by the off-white colors and scribbled, graffiti-like lines in Cy Twombly's paintings. The piece features clarinet preparations and alterations as well as triggered samples of cassette tape tones and tape hiss." -David Bird
PHOTOS
Credits: Gabrielle Herbst's photo by Tim Saccenti
ABOUT THE NOUVEAU CLASSICAL PROJECT
Credit: Julia Comita
“Leading this unlikely intersection of classical music and fashion” - The New York Times
"...bringing a refreshing edge to the widely conservative genre" - VICE
The Nouveau Classical Project is a contemporary classical music ensemble that promotes new music to new audiences through a multidisciplinary approach to the concert experience. Led by Artistic Director and Pianist Sugar Vendil, we create compelling concerts through dynamic collaborations. Our roots in working with fashion designers evolved into commissioning a variety of artists in our continual exploration of imaginative ways to present and experience new music. By primarily performing the music of living composers, NCP demonstrates that classical music is still a living, breathing art form. Its performances attract a diverse audience that is becoming today’s most enthusiastic supporters of new music.
CONTACT
booking@nouveauclassical.org