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New Single Release: Song Without Words
A composition by Chicago composer Augusta Read Thomas, performed by Alex Klein & Phillip Bush.
The commercial recording premiere of Chicago composer August Read Thomas’s Song Without Words, performed by oboist Alex Klein and pianist Phillip Bush, will be released as a digital single track available for streaming and download March 11, 2022, on Cedille Records.
Song Without Words, written in 2018 by Chicago composer Augusta Read Thomas, is shared between equal partners, oboe and piano, who work together to create a beautiful performance of a lyrical, elegant, and poignant composition that is immediate while, at the same time, holds deep, rich sonic meanings. The duo braid together to create an artwork that captures and expresses the aura of the E.E. Cummings poem, ‘I Have Found What You Are Like’ — without a single word of text ever being sung (or spoken).
Grammy-winning oboist Alex Klein, says he first performed the work on a July 6, 2021, Rush Hour Concerts recital in Chicago. “The music of Augusta Read Thomas has always inspired me by its space,” Klein says. “There is a fluidity and grandeur within it, an entire universe of sound in a small package. I have noticed this in her chamber works as well as her orchestral writing. The result is an ethereal, calm landscape that is a welcome challenge to the instrumentalists, the musicians and the thinkers on stage.”
Augusta Read Thomas’s Song Without Words releases March 11!
Recommended
In celebration of Earth Day, Cedille Records releases the world premiere recording of Stacy Garrop’s monumental oratorio Terra Nostra, “a spellbinding dive into the history of the planet” (Chicago Classical Review). Terra Nostra explores the relationship between humanity and Earth, and how humankind can re-establish a harmonious balance.
In anticipation of the Earth Day (April 22) release of Stacy Garrop‘s oratorio Terra Nostra, a playlist of pieces about our planet, its scenic places, creatures, natural resources, seasons, etc. Tracks from Terra Nostra will be added upon its 4/22 release.
Enjoy 25% off of Cedille’s Featured Release.
On this episode of Classical Chicago, Cedille President Jim Ginsburg talks with celebrated composer Stacy Garrop about her experience composing and recording Cedille’s latest release, Terra Nostra. The multifarious text weaves together creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt, excerpts from the Bible’s Old Testament, classic poetry from Walt Whitman, Lord Byron, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and contemporary writings by Esther Iverem and Wendell Berry, among others.