Sandman’s Castle
Vincent Ho composer
Dame Evelyn Glennie percussion
Vicky Chow piano
Ben Reimer drum kit
Susanne Ruberg-Gordon piano
Beth Root Sandvoss cello
From natural scenes of beauty to mystical dreamscapes and vivid characters of villainy, a dynamic assortment of music awaits in SANDMAN’S CASTLE from composer Vincent Ho. A compendium of uniquely-orchestrated and masterfully executed solo and duo works are brought to life from a roster of renowned performers: Vicky Chow, Susanne Ruberg-Gordon, Ben Reimer, Beth Root Sandvoss, and Evelyn Glennie, who serves as a listener’s guide on a mystical journey into the world of dreams in the albums titular track. Between explorations of uncharted territories with tam-tam and music boxes and thoughtful juxtapositions of the drumset with mainstays in classical music, Ho pulls out all of the stops with the renowned featured performers, and his dexterous compositional tool-kit throughout.
Listen
Stream/Buy
Choose your platform
Track Listing & Credits
| # | Title | Composer | Performer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Nostalgia | Vincent Ho | Dame Evelyn Glennie, vibraphone | 5:34 |
| 02 | Three Preludes: I. Morning Song | Vincent Ho | Beth Root Sandvoss, cello | 3:49 |
| 03 | Three Preludes: II. Fleeting Memories | Vincent Ho | Beth Root Sandvoss, cello | 3:56 |
| 04 | Three Preludes: III. Heist | Vincent Ho | Beth Root Sandvoss, cello; Ben Reimer, drum kit | 2:22 |
| 05 | Supervillain Études: I. R1ddler | Vincent Ho | Vicky Chow, piano | 2:56 |
| 06 | Supervillain Études: II. 2-Face | Vincent Ho | Vicky Chow, piano | 3:47 |
| 07 | Supervillain Études: III. P3nguin | Vincent Ho | Vicky Chow, piano | 1:50 |
| 08 | Supervillain Études: IV. C4twoman | Vincent Ho | Vicky Chow, piano | 3:52 |
| 09 | Supervillain Études: V. Poi5on Ivy | Vincent Ho | Vicky Chow, piano | 4:32 |
| 10 | Supervillain Études: VI. J6ker | Vincent Ho | Vicky Chow, piano | 5:04 |
| 11 | Sandman’s Castle | Vincent Ho | Dame Evelyn Glennie, tam-tam | 13:17 |
| 12 | Kickin’ It: I. Twister | Vincent Ho | Susanne Ruberg-Gordon, piano; Ben Reimer, drum kit | 4:30 |
| 13 | Kickin’ It: II. Filigree | Vincent Ho | Susanne Ruberg-Gordon, piano; Ben Reimer, drum kit | 6:12 |
| 14 | Kickin’ It: III. Cadenza | Vincent Ho | Susanne Ruberg-Gordon, piano; Ben Reimer, drum kit | 1:43 |
| 15 | Kickin’ It: IV. Burn | Vincent Ho | Susanne Ruberg-Gordon, piano; Ben Reimer, drum kit | 6:02 |
Nostalgia, Sandman’s Castle
Recorded May 5-6, 2021 at the Studio of Evelyn Glennie in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Recording Session Producer Vincent Ho
Recording Session Engineer Andrew Cotton
Three Preludes
Recorded August 20, 2020 at Chisel Creek Ranch in Bragg Creek, Alberta, Canada
Drum kit track recorded June 24, 2020 at the Studio of Ben Reimer in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Recording Sessions Producer Chris Sandvoss
Recording Sessions Engineers Zana Warner, Denis Martin (drum kit track only)
Supervillain Études
Recorded October 17, 2021, May 13 & 15, 2022 at Oktaven Audio LLC in Mt. Vernon NY
Recording Sessions Producer Vincent Ho
Recording Sessions Engineer Ryan Streber
Kickin’ It
Recorded October 17, 2021 at OCL Studios in Chestermere, Alberta, Canada
Recording Session Producer Chris Sandvoss
Recording Session Engineer Zana Warner
Cover Painting “Sandman’s Castle” by Sunita Le Gallou (used by permission)
Cover Design by Scott Mushens
Executive Producer Bob Lord
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming, Morgan Hauber
Publicity Patrick Niland, Aidan Curran
Artist Information
Vincent Ho
Vincent Ho is a multi-award winning composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and theatre music. His works have been described as “brilliant and compelling” by The New York Times and hailed for their profound expressiveness and textural beauty, leaving audiences talking about them with great enthusiasm. His many awards and recognitions have included three Juno Award nominations, Harvard University’s Fromm Music Commission, The Canada Council for the Arts’ “Robert Fleming Prize,” ASCAP’s “Morton Gould Young Composer Award,” four SOCAN Young Composers Awards, and CBC Radio’s Audience Choice Award (2009 Young Composers’ Competition).
Dame Evelyn Glennie
Dame Evelyn Glennie is the first person in history to create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist, performing worldwide with the greatest orchestras and artists. Glennie paved the way for orchestras globally to feature percussion concerti when she played the first percussion concerto in the history of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in 1992.
Vicky Chow
Hong Kong/Canadian pianist Vicky Chow has been described as “brilliant” (New York Times) and “one of our era’s most brilliant pianists” (Pitchfork). Since joining the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 2009, she has collaborated and worked with composers, artists, ensembles, and orchestras such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, BBC Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, International Contemporary Ensemble, The Knights, Tyshawn Sorey, Andy Akiho, John Zorn, Meredith Monk, Gong Linna, Kronos Quartet, Longleash Trio, Trinity Choir, Wet Ink Ensemble, Yarn/Wire, and Momenta Quartet to name a few. She has toured to over 40 countries and performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms in London, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
Ben Reimer
Ben Reimer has been called a “genre-bending wiz” (PuSh) and a performer of “stunning virtuosity” (Ludwig-Van). His debut album Katana of Choice: Music for Drumset Soloist is described as “an exhilarating musical ride” (Wholenote) and “a modern classic” (I Care If You Listen). He has been featured in the Drummer’s Journal and Modern Drummer and is a contributing author to The Cambridge Companion to the Drumkit (2021). Reimer holds a Doctor of Music from McGill University, Schulich School of Music where he also taught percussion from 2015-2021. He currently teaches privately from his home studio in Winnipeg and at the Desautels Faculty of Music at the University of Manitoba.
Susanne Ruberg-Gordon
Quoted by the Chronicle Herald as “A superb musician,” Swedish-born pianist Susanne Ruberg-Gordon is a highly regarded and sought-after chamber musician and collaborative pianist. She is recognized for her artistry, nuance, interpretation, and curiosity and has performed in Canada, the United States, China, and United Arab Emirates with artists such as Dame Evelyn Glennie, Andras Diaz, Ron Leonard, James Campbell, Desmond Hoebig, John Kimora Parker, Josh Jones, Ian Swensen, Arnold Choi, Nikki Chooi, and Sydney Lee.
Beth Root Sandvoss
Cellist Beth Root Sandvoss is known for her intensely committed performances and interpretations. She has a notably varied career as a recitalist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. Sandvoss lives in Bragg Creek, Alberta, and enjoys an active performance career in Canada and abroad. She has recorded for WERN Madison public radio, RTHK Radio Hong Kong, and CBC Radio. Sandvoss has recorded 10 commercial CDs and has premiered more than 125 new works for solo cello, cello/piano, and chamber ensemble. Sandvoss has an intense interest in new music and is a founding member of the acclaimed Juno nominated Land’s End Ensemble, and is also a member of the UCalgary String Quartet in residence at the University of Calgary. Nominated as Instrumental Group of the Year, the UCalgary String Quartet has completed live recordings of all the Beethoven String Quartets as well as the CD Far Behind I left My Country, which features Klezmer and East European Folk Music.
Foreword
In 1986, Two Poems from the Song Dynasty for soprano and chamber orchestra was premiered by a wonderful new music group in New York City called “Music Today,” led by a very talented young conductor named Gerard Schwarz. The concert also afforded my first review by the New York Times. The next day, Leonard Bernstein called me, asking me to bring the score and recording to our next lesson. I was a bit elated. After all, not only was this my first commission by a professional music institution since I had come to the United States four years earlier, but I also received my first favorable review.
A few days later, I brought the cassette tape recording of the performance and played for Lenny, expecting praise. Instead, he kept a long silence before asking: “Why did you write this work?”
I was speechless. At the time, the trend was to reply: “I wrote it for myself,” following the fashionable article Who Cares If You Listen. But I knew it wouldn’t be true. Bernstein, seeing my hesitation, drilled further: “Did you write this work for Gerard Schwarz, for the New York Times, for your teacher, for your composer friends, or yourself?” He then took up a pen and wrote it on the cover of the score To Whom Is It Written
I have been pondering the answer ever since. Through time, I realized Bernstein was asking a different question, as he knew that I was struggling to start a career in my newly adopted country: now, as an artist who is supported by professional institutions, what should I do in return?
I think of this story when I listen to Vincent Ho’s music, especially his most recent release which is full of life and energy. We all believe that a civilized society should support art. But not all of us think too much about why, or, more precisely, about the responsibilities of the artists to society.
Perhaps the answer to Bernstein’s question could be inspired by watching movies. Why do we care about the characters in a film, when we know full well it is a made-up story? The characters are hired actors and actresses, and the story has nothing to do with our lives. Why do we invest our emotions so much so that we laugh and cry with these characters?
Like all important art, Ho’s music has the power to draw us in and make us forget our existence for a few seconds, either allowing us to have tremendous fun or, sometimes simultaneously, making us contemplate our own lives. It also keeps a wonderful balance of the new and the familiar, of logic and intuition. Isn’t that what we all strive to achieve?
It is also wonderful to tell that Vincent really enjoys transforming his musical expressions to touch and move the listener. Like Stravinsky, his music style changes and emerges, but his expressiveness and musical personality do not — it always directly touches the listeners’ hearts and brings them into his exciting world.
– Bright Sheng
The Leonard Bernstein Distinguished University Professor of Music
School of Music, Theater and Dance
University of Michigan
www.brightsheng.com
Notes
Sponsors
