Share Album:
Time, Still
Bruce Babcock composer
Doug Masek alto saxophone; Armen Ksajikian cello; David Speltz cello; Juliana Gondek soprano; Rakefet Hak piano; Louise Thomas piano; Robert Thies piano
The Debussy Trio | Marcia Dickstein harp; Angela Wiegand flute; David Walther viola
The Coventry and Canterbury Choirs of All Saints Church, Pasadena, CA James Walker conductor
Don’t mistake the inference in the title of Emmy Award-winning composer Bruce Babcock’s multi-faceted new Navona Records album TIME, STILL – the music is serious and contemplative at points to be sure, but the effervescence of Babcock’s metrically shifting style and sound percolates to the surface throughout.
At home in both the concert hall and on the scoring stages of Hollywood, Babcock possesses deep insight into the process of creating emotional responses in the listener and uses it to full effect in this collection. Irrational Exuberance is a burst of sonic joy that displays a propulsive rhythmic approach, while This Is What I Know highlights the composer’s facility with shading and sculpting sound and meaning in a series of Dorothy Parker settings.
All Unto Me is in many ways the centerpiece of the album, and it is highly representative of Babcock’s musical ethos with its themes of unity and inclusion tied to a rich musical language. The piece is a tribute to Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa and was performed for him in 2011.
SpringScape and Imagined/Remembered both emphasize the linear writing, as well as the atypical metric patterns, which comprise the hallmarks of Babcock’s style. Metaphor Two completes the album with a quiet moment, American in character. The music is well served by a stellar cohort of Los Angeles-based colleagues and friends of the composer.
Listen
Artist Information
Bruce Babcock
Applauded by Aaron Copland, inspired by Desmond Tutu, and mentored by Hugo Friedhofer and Earle Hagen, Bruce Babcock has spent his working life composing music for the musicians of Los Angeles. Successful in both film and television, and the concert hall, he is known for vibrant, sonorous, expressive pieces that immerse audience and performers alike in an inclusive and exuberant celebration of the musical art.
