Musical Experimentalist Jessica Ackerley Is Blazing Trails
Ever-evolving experimental guitarist and composer Jessica Ackerley talks about – among other things – their eclectic and ambitious new solo album.
contemporary classical
Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion Reunite for Genre-Defying LP
The combined forces of composer/vocalist/violinist Caroline Shaw and accomplished ensemble Sō Percussion continue to thrill and amaze.
MONO Recommit with Life-Affirming ‘Oath’
MONO return with a post-rock album about faith and commitment, which serves as a fitting epitaph for their long-term artistic collaboration with Steve Albini.
Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann Create a Stunning Experimental Soundscape
The sophomore collaboration from experimental musicians Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann comes four years after their debut, and builds on it.
Jessica Pavone Interprets Womens’ Work Through the Ages
Eclectic composer Jessica Pavone pays tribute to women-made inventions through powerful musical compositions and performances in her new string ensemble album.
Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri Adapt ‘Oedipe’ for Modern Jazz
Though Lucian Ban and Mat Maneri’s Oedipe Redux is quite a technical achievement, it faces an uphill battle when it comes to stirring the soul.
The TANK Center for Sonic Arts Find a New Way to Interpret Beethoven
National Sawdust Ensemble’s work on Slow Beethoven recasts Beethoven’s Opus 131 as something wholly new, recasting it as a contemporary classical dirge.
The Nuanced History Eluvium’s Many Clockwork Fables
Ambient maestro Matthew Robert Cooper (Eluvium) is two decades into his career, and on his latest LP, overcomes surprising obstacles physical and geographical.
Erik Hall Creates Minimalist Compositions with Warm Beauty on ‘Canto Ostinato’
Composer and multi-instrumentalist Erik Hall shares his second installment of a trilogy with a tribute to Dutch composer Simeon ten Holt on Canto Ostinato.
Faten Kanaan Revels in Ever-Molting Textures on ‘Afterpoem’
Faten Kanaan’s musical molting feels more organic than the repetition in Steve Reich or Philip Glass; her music doesn’t rely on an unwavering framework for effect.
Stephanie Lamprea Creates a Fearless Interpretation of an Avant-Garde Song Cycle
Colombian-American soprano Stephanie Lamprea brings a spectacular amount of vocal technique to a challenging, unique, and weirdly playful piece of music.
Anne H. Goldberg-Baldwin Interprets Bespoke 21st-Century Compositions on ‘Permutations’
Composer Anne H. Goldberg-Baldwin tackles 15 contemporary pieces for solo piano on her deeply felt and surprisingly varied album, Permutations.