Mirórs - album cover

Mirórs

Michael K. Slayton composer

Release Date: September 20, 2024
Catalog #: NV6658S1
Format: Digital
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Flute
Violin

Navona Records is pleased to present Mirórs, the first single from composer Michael Slayton’s forthcoming album SAGE BRUSHES.

Mirórs seeks to honor the visionary work of Spanish painter and sculptor Joan Miró (1893–1983). Each movement highlights the flute, violin, and clarinet, respectively, attempting to aurally render the thematic heartbeat of Miró’s work. 

With this release, Slayton recreates with music what the artists crafted with oil on canvas, mirroring everything in mesmerizing precision: the colors, the degree of abstraction, even the weight of the brushstrokes. And just like the originals — it unsettles as much as it enchants.

Listen

Hear the full album on YouTube

Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Mirórs: I. The Birth of the World Michael K. Slayton Molly Barth, flute; Sammy Lesnick, clarinet; Hanna Hurwitz, violin 3:29
02 Mirórs: II. The Dragonfly in front of the Sun Michael K. Slayton Molly Barth, flute; Sammy Lesnick, clarinet; Hanna Hurwitz, violin 2:21
03 Mirórs: III. The Beautiful Bird Reveals the Unknown to a Pair of Lovers Michael K. Slayton Molly Barth, flute; Sammy Lesnick, clarinet; Hanna Hurwitz, violin 4:02

Mirórs
Recorded April 2020 at Ingram Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville TN
Recording Session Producer & Engineer Kevin Edlin
Editing & Mixing Kevin Edlin

Mastering Melanie Montgomery

Executive Producer Bob Lord

VP of A&R Brandon MacNeil

VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Kacie Brown
Digital Marketing Manager Brett Iannucci

Artist Information

Michael K. Slayton

Composer

Michael K. Slayton is an American composer who has written works in a cross-section of musical genres, with specific emphasis on chamber music. His continuing dedication to the value of artistic exchange has afforded him opportunity to partner with distinguished performers all over the world. His music, published by ACA, Inc. (BMI), is regularly programmed in the U.S. and abroad, including Chemnitz, Seitz, Leipzig, Droyssig, and Weimar, Germany; Graz, Austria; Paris,Tours, and Marquette-lez-Lille, France; Kristiansund, Norway; Aviero, Portugal; Brussles, Belgium; Johannesburg and Potchefstroom, South Africa; London, UK; and New York, NY.

Molly Barth

flute

Molly Barth is constantly in motion. This GRAMMY® Award-winning flutist, professor, and clinician moves effortlessly from concert hall to teaching studio to rehearsal room to orchestral section. Barth needs fuel for this fire. Barth is fueled by visceral communication with listeners. The halls may be large or small, the music may be old or new, but the performances are always concentrated, intense. Barth is a co-founder of the Zohn Collective, a group of curious musicians who share a love of risk and exploration.

Sammy Lesnick

clarinet

Sammy Lesnick is a clarinetist devoted to performing classical music in all of its exciting varieties, from Bach to Boulez and beyond. No matter the style, he strives to bring his performances to life with a sense of humor, spontaneity, and adventure. He has performed with the North Carolina Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Princeton Symphony, and the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, and with contemporary music groups including Ensemble Signal, the International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, and Eighth Blackbird.

Hanna Hurwitz

violin

Playing with “live-wire splendor” (The New York Times) violinist Hanna Hurwitz is a musician who equally enjoys performing classics of the repertoire as well as new music of our time. She has performed around the world and is currently a member of Chicago-based, leading new music ensembles including the acclaimed Grossman Ensemble and Ensemble Dal Niente. She also serves as co-founder and violinist of Zohn Collective, an ensemble interested in interdisciplinary collaboration and the creation of new work.

Notes

Commissioned by Australian flutist Agatha Yim, Mirórs was the first in my series of “Art Miniatures,” featuring music composed after extant visual art works. Mirórs seeks to honor the visionary work of Spanish painter and sculptor Joan Miró (1893–1983). Each movement highlights one of the three instruments, attempting to aurally render the thematic heartbeat of the painting.

— Michael K. Slayton