MODES Society of Composers, inc.

Karen Keyhani

Robert A. Baker

Nolan Stolz

Arthur Gottschalk

Benjamin D. Whiting

Yip Ho Kwen Austin

Chin Ting Chan

OVERVIEW

Navona Records proudly presents MODES, the 30th edition of the celebrated Society of Composers, Inc. CD Series and the sixth SCI release on the label. The album features a diverse array of compositions, with influences from around the world and experiences that are new and thrillingly avant-garde.

The album’s contributions span the globe, featuring exciting contemporary musical elements. Yip Ho Kwen Austin’s A Mournful Cry incorporates the ancient Chinese zither instrument Guzheng, along with poetry from China’s South Song Dynasty. Iranian composer Karen Keyhani integrates the Persian santour into his piece As Far As Possible, written in response to the loss of three mountaineers (including a close friend) while descending the Himalayan Broad Peak in 2013. Nolan Stolz’s Princess Ka‘iulani calls on the soloist to sing, speak, and whisper fragments of Hawaiian words and phrases into their flute. Arthur Gottschalk’s song cycle for soprano and string quartet, Five Songs of Love, features poems from sources as diverse as Harlem poet Langston Hughes to Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Robert A. Baker, in Valance III, continues his cycle of chamber pieces that explore interactions between energy, timbre, and musical continuity. Benjamin Whiting experiments with the intersections of acoustic and electronic composition in Melodía sin melodía (stereo mix). Chin Ting Chan draws from Olivier Messiaen’s “Modes of Limited Transposition” for his explorations of timbre and harmony across time in Acoustic Field. These composers all bring their own unique blend of understanding, ingenuity, and craft to their contributions to this diverse new edition.

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HIGHLIGHTS

Founded in 1965, Society of Composers, Inc. recently celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2015

Award-winning composer Arthur Gottchalk’s music has been described as "rapturous, argumentative, and prickly" (Gramophone Magazine), "fascinatingly strange" (BBC Music Magazine), and "brainy and jazzy" (American Record Guide). His Five Songs of Love is dedicated to and performed by Karol Bennett and The Gotham Quartet. Gottschalk released his debut Navona Records album REQUIEM: FOR THE LIVING in 2015

Internationally award-winning composer Benjamin Whiting has composed both acoustic and electro-acoustic music, and is currently at work with flautist Melody Chua on developing an open-source, hybridized electroacoustic flute. Chua provided acoustic flute samples for his piece Melodía sin melodía (stereo mix)

Chin Ting Chan has received awards and commissions from ensembles and competitions from around the world. His piece, Acoustic Field, is performed by members of Nonsemble 6 and Melos Music, under the direction of Greg Simon

Iranian composer and santour virtuoso Karen Keyhani composes in a variety of styles, for mediums such as film, theatre, and performance art. His piece As Far As Possible is performed by Ensemble MATKA, under the direction of Elena Schwarz

Composer, music theorist, and drummer Nolan Stolz blends his backgrounds in jazz fusion and progressive rock with an interest in contemporary classical tradition in his award-winning compositions. Princess Ka‘iulani (he mele ho‘oipoipo) is performed by flutist Melanie Chirignan. Chirignan is a featured artist on the Ravello Records release DREAM OF SAILING by composer Masatora Goya

In addition to composing, Robert A. Baker is known for his research and analyses on the music of Wolfgang Rihm, Pierre Boulez, and Henri Dutilleux. His Valence III is performed by Howard Niblock, Miyoko Grine-Fisher, and Alexv Rolfe

Yip Ho Kwen Austin is a versatile composer, with compositions ranging from orchestral pieces to electroacoustic works, from Western styles to music for folk instruments. His piece A Mournful Cry is performed by Chiu Tan Ching

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ALSO ON NAVONA RECORDS

ONYX (NV6020)

SCI #29

PENDULUM (NV5963)

SCI #28

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