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Anna Webber: Idiom
ByRecorded for her 12-piece large ensemble, "Idiom VI" travels through six movements and includes four interludes. Under the conduction of Eric Wubbels, the ensemble navigates some complex new music passages dotted with intermittent improvised passages. The steadiness of "Movement I" is marked by jabs of sound over a swirling bees nest, before a stomping heavy bass line crashes into Liz Kosack's synthesizer electronics. Webber likes to match precision with the unpredictable; "Interlude 2 and Movement III" paints a pacific panorama before an advancing march is interwoven with Yuma Uesaka's contra-alto clarinet and Mariel Roberts' cello. Webber mixes the cinematic drama of "Movement IV" with the meditative passages of "Interlude 3 & Movement V" and the buzzing business of "Interlude 4 & Movement VI." The Large Ensemble pushes new classical music towards improvisation, and improvisations into chamber music.
Webber's Idiom music is also interpreted by her Simple Trio which includes pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer John Hollenbeck. This long-standing trio released Binary (Skirl Records, 2016) and might be the tightest group working today. Mitchell and Hollenbeck share Webber's penchant for the mechanical. In other words, they produce repetitive machine-like sounds on "Idiom I" that repeat with minute variations which increase the complexity until, well, the wheels come off. "Idiom V" and "Idiom III" play off a start/stop pulse with varying pitches. "III" is eventually brought to a proper boil, while "V" impersonates the inner workings of steampunk gadgetry. The ease with which the Simple Trio works through the complexity of Webber's compositions is both distinctive and quite extraordinary.
Track Listing
CD1: Idiom I; Idiom IV; Forgotten Best; Idiom V; Idiom III; CD2: Idiom VI: Movement I; Interlude 1; Movement II; Interlude 2 and Movement III; Movement IV; Interlude 3 & Movement V; Interlude 4 & Movement VI.
Personnel
Anna Webber
composer / conductorMatt Mitchell
pianoJohn Hollenbeck
drumsNathaniel Morgan
saxophone, altoYuma Uesaka
saxophone, altoAdam O'Farrill
trumpetJacob Garchik
tromboneErica Dicker
violinJoanna Mattrey
violaMariel Roberts
celloLiz Kosack
synthesizerNick Dunston
bassSatoshi Takeishi
drumsEric Wubbels
composer / conductorAdditional Instrumentation
David Byrd-Marrow: horn
Album information
Title: Idiom | Year Released: 2021 | Record Label: Pi Recordings
Comments
About Anna Webber
Instrument: Composer / conductor
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