Muhly Hosts Week of Choral Music on WQXR's Q2, 9/21

American composer Nico Muhly, noted for his versatility and ingenuity as much as his age, acts as a guest host on WQXR's Q2 channel this week with a focus on the choral music that has been both his passion and obsession for many years.  A Good Understanding, the first to two new releases on Decca, presents Muhly's own choral compositions as performed by the Grammy-nominated Los Angeles Master Chorale under the direction of Grant Gershon.  The second release, I Drink the Air Before Me, is a large-scale ballet scored for chamber orchestra and written to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Stephen Petronio Dance Company.  A Good Understanding is currently available on iTunes and both releases receive full distribution on September 21, 2010 in both digital and physical formats.
 
"Choral music is my first love," states Muhly.  "Even though my voice broke in 1994, I still return to the emotional landscapes of Byrd, Tallis, Gibbons, Howells, and Britten as a sort of home base for all of the music I write."  Over a four-part series on Q2 which started on Monday, Muhly talks about works that have influenced him and plays selected recordings of the works.  The works and composers discussed cover many centuries, yet the listener can begin to understand Muhly's fascination with these works and their influence on his own compositions.
 
Click here for more information and to hear the shows
 
Muhly himself is quite a prolific composer for choir and for his all-new recording, A Good Understanding, the Grammy-nominated LAMC under Music Director Grant Gershon performs selected works.  Muhly, born in 1981 is "the planet's hottest composer" (The Daily Telegraph) working today. He has been commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera under Peter Gelb, who commented: "Muhly is a brilliant, original composing voice who writes music that is genuinely pleasing. And that is difficult."  The LAMC is the resident chorus of the landmark Walt Disney Concert Hall and has earned the admiration of audiences and critics both in Los Angeles and across the country.  This unique program demonstrates the Chorale's programmatic daring and technical finesse.
 
The second Decca recording of Nico Muhly's music, I Drink the Air Before Me, features a score that, according to The New York Times, "evokes turbulent undercurrents in which the frantic sounds of flute and strings are woven with the more tumultuous notes of a trombone and piano. Without being literal, the music and choreography create a sonic, ephemeral wave."  This is the first collaboration between Decca and Bedroom Community, the Icelandic record label/collective formed in 2006 by Valgeir Sigurðsson, with Nico Muhly and Ben Frost.
 
Paul Moseley, General Manager of Decca said, "For many years Decca has strived to capture on disc the very best in contemporary music.  Nico Muhly is one of the most exciting and individual voices of today and we look forward to many collaborations with him."
 

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