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Cadence
David Kirtley composer
Joanne D. Carey composer
Timothy Kramer composer
Christopher J. Hoh composer
CADENCE, the new vocal music compilation from Navona Records, offers a set of inspired, emotive premiere recordings by composers Christopher J. Hoh, David Kirtley, Joanne D. Carey, and Timothy Kramer in works juxtaposing the ethereal and the earthy, the diaphanous and the muscular, and the serene and the agile.
Hoh’s Remembering All sets five poems by the renowned Carl Sandburg, whom Hoh calls “a composer’s poet.” His treatment enhances the text with a spacious, compelling composition. By turns luminous, jaunty or lyrical, it dramatizes love and longing through intriguing music.
Kirtley’s focus too is on poetry, but in this case it is the Japanese art of the haiku, which provides the inspiration. Best known for its precise, simple form and short length, haiku offers a fascinating point of entry for Kirtley in the Haiku Songs of Karigane, as the composer carefully crafts a haunting, sanguine sound that unveils deep emotions within the lean words of five haiku by Kaoru Karigane.
William Blake’s works have frequently been set to music, but The Lamb and The Tyger have rarely been given such a rigorous treatment. Carey’s complex, nuanced language highlights the mysterious symbolism of Blake’s prose, coupling sophisticated musical figures alongside the enigmatic contemplations found in the text.
Lux aeterna by Kramer is the composer’s own unique version of the traditional Mass setting, in this case created specifically for performance in the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The radiant harmonies bound across dynamic peaks and valleys, bringing the listener on a sublime emotional journey.
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Artist Information
David Kirtley
After an injury in 1982 ended his career as a modern dancer, David Kirtley focused on a new path as a self-taught composer. His efforts were rewarded when in 1987 he was granted a residency/fellowship from the Yellowsprings Institute in Pennsylvania for his piece, Songs for the Outcasts of Great Turtle’s Back, a song cycle recounting the great losses of life, land, and culture suffered by the American Indians.
Joanne D. Carey
Joanne D. Carey studied composition with Lou Harrison, Tikey Zes, and Alan Strange at San Jose State University where she earned B.A. and M.A. degrees (1979, 1986). She spent a decade (1983-1993) as a visiting composer at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) during which she composed three computer-generated pieces.
Timothy Kramer
Timothy Kramer’s music reflects his fascination with motivic patterns, cyclical relationships, and musical gestures that unfold in a variety of changing speeds and textures. Originally from Washington State, Kramer (b. 1959) began playing the piano at an early age, and, although trained as a pianist, organist, and harpsichordist, he spent many years as a youth playing bass guitar in jazz and rock ensembles. His music reflects this influence, and he sometimes integrates various aspects of American popular music into his pieces.
Christopher J. Hoh
“Full of charm and shapely allure” (Opera News) and “a tapestry of immense grace” (Textura) are some of the praises Christopher J. Hoh has received for his music. He grew up in Reading PA and was influenced as a young singer and accompanist by great works under conductors in Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington. He has been in Alice Parker’s composer seminar as well as workshops with Jean Berger, Daniel Moe, Robert Page, and Craig Jessop.
