ACL 2024 ~ Spring Music Preview: Modern Composition

This year’s spring slate is packed with so much sweetness, it can hardly be contained.  From solo piano albums to chamber orchestras, ballet to film scores, entire worlds are represented.  Some artists find a Crayola box of timbres in a single place, while others suggest a walk in an arboretum.  And let’s not forget World Piano Day, which lands on the 88th day of the year, March 28, the heart of Holy Week.  This preview may be compact, but it contains music of great weight and power, perhaps the best value per note of any preview in our spring collection.  We’re proud to present this cornucopia of sound!

Our featured image comes from Jordi Forniés Hela Nokto, previewed below!

The star-studded film Falling Into Place receives a star-studded score, presented by Ben Lucas Boysen with special guests Jon Hopkins, Lisa Morgenstern and Anne Müller.  As lovers meet, part and reunite, the music offers a tender backdrop (Erased Tapes, March 28).  Based on a new ballet, Dustin O’Halloran‘s 1001 pooints its face to a technological future.  The composer’s piano is the starting point, bolstered by the Reykjavik Silfur Choir, Budapest Art Orchestra, and other special guests.  The four-movement score travels from the performance hall to the far reaches of outer space (Deutsche Grammophon, March 22).  Nocturnal music is the theme of Jordi Forniés‘ Hela Nokto, an expressive set whose keys cascade like falling stars, and whose lead single, streaming below, is translated “bright light” (Decca, April 5).

Glowworm‘s Harvest is off to an incredible start with the video for “The Garden,” seen below.  Glowworm was once known for post-rock, and still contains a tiny bit of that flair, while moving comfortably into modern composition.  Now a duo featuring guests, the act presents Harvest as a reflection of “the joy that comes with the morning” (Post Dog Productions, March 29). Danny Clay returns with the sumptuous No More Darkness, No More Night, dedicated to Hank Williams, whose song “I Saw the Light” is quoted in the title.  Composed for pedal steel and string quartet, the album offers both tribute and elegy (LAAPS, March 28).  The story of Glacis‘ Perseverance begins with an out-of-tune piano and continues as a meditation of the seasons, political change and the concept of borders.  The album reflects on and hopes for the grace of its title (oscarson, April 5).

Stephan Moccio‘s Legends, Myths and Lavender is a calm set of compositions for miked piano, preceded by the single Nightingale (Center Stage, May 10).  Rapidfire piano keys and synth are the hallmarks of Ezéchiel Pailhès‘ Ventas Rumba, in which the artist travels beyond his electro-pop origins as a member of Nôze (Circus Company, May 17). We would normally place the album Not Me But Us in our Electronic section, save for the identity of one of the composers. Bruno Bavota and Fabrizio Somma, the former known for romantic piano music, join forces on the surprisingly pulsating Two.  This new venture is already opening new doors (Sonic Cathedral, March 22).

Organ and voice swirl together like comfortable companions on Keeley Forsyth‘s The Hollow.  The composer’s voice is in turn splintered, layered and integrated into choral settings, making the album a spiritual treatise, soaring far beyond the physical realm (FatCat, May 10).  String quartet, voice and electronics populate Paratonnerre, the euphoric debut album of Griffure.  The colorful cover is a confident announcement, the music reflecting its vibrancy (Umlaut, April 12).

Oootoko is a fun name for a diverse group.  After making a splash with the dramatic, cinematic Elvas, the 19-strong collective shifted gears with the choral “Little Ghost.”  Their self-titled album is released May 19.  Daniel Elms‘ Collected Works 2018-22 bundles three works for orchestra, synthesizer and tape, and delve into the subjects of thought, memory and perception.  14 players flesh out the sound, creating a three-dimensional timbre (April 12).  The Casimir Connection‘s timely Reflection is inspired by “uncertainly in times of loss and war.”  Equally straddling the fields of modern composition and jazz, the album should appeal to a wide array of audiences (One Little Independent, April 19).

Cellist Georges Crotty, known for his background in jazz, switches gears a bit on the EP Inner Nature.  The music draws upon Baroque and Celtic themes, with a welcoming tone (April 1).  ann annie (composer Eli Goldberg) plays multiple instruments on The Wind, including piano, cello, trumpet and pedal steel.  While grounded in modern composition, the album contains folk and new age influences (Nettwerk, June 7).

Sitar player Anoushka Shankar (daughter of Ravi) presents Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn, the middle installment of a trilogy.  The light breaks in the closing piece (LEITER, April 5).  Omar Sosa’s 88 Well-Tuned Drums is the score to the documentary of the same name, chronicling the life and achievements of the Cuban percussionist (Ota, April 20).  Denovali Records is ready to release Darts & Kites, the debut album of drummer Taroug, but listeners may be surprised by the piano base of the title track.  The artist invites numerous friends to illustrate this colorful palette (May 3).

Gabriel Vicéns offers a wide variety of chamber music on Mural, from piano trio to wind quartet to ensemble.  The sound justifies the title (March 29).  Well in time for Mother’s Day, Nova Pon is finally seeing wide release for Symphonies of Mother and Child, an expansive chamber work performed by Turning Point Ensemble and available on Redshift March 29.

Richard Allen