Surfaces and Essences
World Premiere Recording
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Track Listing:
Prized Possessions (2014) by Viet Cuong (b. 1990)
1. I. Mother’s Monster 6:19
2. II. Beggar’s Lace 5:37
3. Surfaces and Essences (2017) by Christopher Biggs (b. 1979) 13:30
4. Motion Lines (2016) by Joseph Sowa (b. 1984) 3:23
5. heteronym/ (2016) by Emily Koh (b. 1986) 7:24
6. Tell: Quartet (2016) by Victoria Cheah (b. 1988) 8:47
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Musicians:
PRISM Quartet
Timothy McAllister, soprano saxophone
Zachary Shemon, alto saxophone
Matthew Levy, tenor saxophone
Taimur Sullivan, baritone saxophone
Liner Notes:
In its first 35 years on the scene, the PRISM Quartet has proven that the saxophone quartet is one of the most versatile chamber music ensembles, capable of expressing music created in an extraordinary range of styles—from works that exploit a level of homogenous blending perhaps only otherwise attainable by a string quartet to wild, raucous scores involving improvisation and myriad extended techniques. PRISM has now served as a muse for generations of composers, so it is perhaps fitting that, for this latest addition to their extensive discography, the group features a set of new works written for them by five younger composers, only one of whom was born before PRISM came into existence. Surfaces and Essences features a remarkable collection of works by rising stars Christopher Biggs, Victoria Cheah, Viet Cuong, Emily Koh, and Joseph Sowa.
Credits:
Executive Producer/Mastering: Matthew Levy
Producers: PRISM Quartet (all tracks) with Joseph Sowa (track 4), Emily Koh (track 5), Victoria Cheah (track 6)
Session Engineers: Eric Wojahn (tracks 1-3), James Praznik (tracks 4-6)
Editing: Levy (track 1-3), Sowa (track 4), Jason Rogers and Koh (track 5), Cheah (track 6)
Mixing: Levy (all tracks) with Sowa (track 4), Koh (track 5), Cheah (track 6)
Design: OfficeOfDevelopment.com
Prized Possessions and Surfaces and Essences were recorded on August 30–31, 2018 at the First Presbyterian Church of Ypsilanti, MI
Motion Lines, heteronym/, and Tell: Quartet were recorded on January 29, 2017 at Brandeis University, Slosberg Recital Hal
Acknowledgements:
This recording was made possible with generous support from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.
Record Label / Catalogue Number:
XAS 108
Release Date:
April 17, 2020
