In this era of Internet pop music distribution and declining interest
by major record labels in publishing "classical" music, one prominent
composer has "put her money where her mouth is" to get her music in home
CD players.
News Release July 16, 2004
Augusta Read Thomas releases a second recording: Words of the Sea,
performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra led by Pierre Boulez and In
My Sky at Twilight.
Augusta Read Thomas, one of the most acclaimed composers of her generation
and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Mead Composer-In-Residence, is releasing
her second self-produced recording in eight months: a disc featuring her
orchestral work Words of the Sea, performed by the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra led by Pierre Boulez and recorded in Chicago's Orchestra Hall
at the premiere in December 1996; and her work for soprano and ensemble
In My Sky at Twilight, a set of songs that received its premiere as part
of the CSO's MusicNOW series in December 2002.
The CD of the 17-minute Words of the Sea and the 19-minute In My Sky at
Twilight is available now on the CSO online Symphony Store
<www.symphonystore.com>, on <www.amazon.com>, and on the composers's web
site: <www.augustareadthomas.com>.
Thomas produced her own first disc in order to take an active role in
the dissemination of her own music- "Since In My Sky at Twilight is for
a chamber ensemble, I was able to afford the costs associated in gaining
the rights to make my first (self-produced) commercial disc", she said.
People who heard In My Sky at Twilight asked me when CDs of other of my
works would be available, and thus I decided to make the financial
commitment to release my full-scale orchestral work Words of the Sea."
Critical reaction to Thomas's first disc took note not only of the music
itself, but of the release's unusual circumstances. "This could be
another sign of classical music's imminent downfall, or an exciting new
way for composers to reach audiences directly", said Russell Platt in
the New Yorker, who went on to say, "Thomas, a prodigious talent, is the
most accessible ambassador of the new modernism, and the piece, a fierce
and jagged take on the love poetry of Sappho, Neruda, and Flaubert, among
others, shines with passion and color".
"Gaining the rights to make a commercial CD of Words of the Sea was,
for me, a massive investment", says Thomas. " but this CD hopefully
will inspire interest in my other large works, none of which are recorded,
and it makes two of my works with the CSO, in particular these outstanding
performance, available for larger audiences to hear". The Internet
has changed the art of distribution, so, like many artists and arts
organizations, I decided to hold the copyright and to produce the recording
myself".
The four-movement Words of the Sea, described by Seth Brodsky in the CD
notes as "a cycle of sea-pictures," was inspired by the Wallace Stevens
1934 poem "the idea of Order at Key West." which contrasts the artless,
natural power of a raging ocean with the notion of a voice in song. Each
movement bears a subtitle from the poem: I. ...words of the sea...; II.
...the ever-hooded, tragic-gestured sea...; III. ...beyond the genius
of the sea...; IV. ...mountainous atmospheres of the sky and sea...
(homage to Debussy). Says Brodsky. "Imagine...that Thomas's orchestra
is a sonic map of Steven's landscape. It surveys all the poem's images,
re-assigns them timbres, and projects an intimate soliloquy into a vast
territory of instruments. ...As much as anything, the 17 loaded minutes
of Words of the Sea constitute a wildly active barometer which,
inThomas'scharacteristically euphoric mode, records the rare climate of
Steven's poem."
In reviewing the work, Donald Rosenberg of the Cleveland Plain Dealer
said. "Words of the Sea [is] a vibrant series of aquatic images that
had no difficulty standing alongside favorite pieces by Barber and
Prokofiev. Words of the Sea is a healthy example of a work from a
composer who is smitten with the chameleonlike qualities of the orchestra
and knows how to exploit its myriad facets." John von Rhein of the Chicago
Tribune said. "Thomis' music, particularly her orchestral music, fairly
explodes with an extroverted boldness of utterance audiences and musicians
alike find challenging yet immediate. It's music that doesn't sound
like anybody else's - music that insists you pay attention".
If you're interested in hearing a major contemporary orchestral work by
one of the most highly regarded composers of her generation, you may
want to get this recording.
Disclaimer: Although Ms. Thomas is a personal friend, I have no financial
interest in this CD and receive no profit from its sale. In-fact, the
costs of producing this recording were so high that even if thousands
of copies are sold (very unlikely) it will still represent a major
financial loss for Ms. Thomas.
Regards,
Nick Yasillo
http://home.earthlink.net/~nconcerts/
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