The Curtis Project
Music for Saxophones from the Curtis Institute by Jennifer Higdon, David Ludwig, Kat Souponetsky, Daniel Temkin, Gabriella Smith, Thomas Oltarzewski, and Tim Woos
Listen to/download Short Stories, Splashing the Canvas by Jennifer Higdon
Read/download the iTunes booket
Read/download the one sheet
In 2012, the PRISM Quartet conducted a residency with the composition department of the acclaimed Curtis Institute of Music, the first by saxophonists in the conservatory’s nearly 100-year history. The residency culminated in world premiere performances of “Josquin Microludes” by David Ludwig, a member of Curtis’ composition faculty and Dean of Artistic Programs, and new works by five gifted students, all of whom have since graduated and are emerging as significant voices in contemporary music. The program also featured “Short Stories” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon, a Curtis graduate who joined the faculty in 1994.
This recording documents all seven works, and is a testament to the Curtis Institute’s standing as an international center for the study of composition. All of the composers represented on this album have distinct voices that in some way embrace elements of invention and lyricism—an aesthetic that dates back to Curtis’ founding in 1924, and to the music of one of its earliest and most distinguished alumni, Samuel Barber.
The Curtis Project is the first release of PRISM’s label, XAS Records, founded to advance the Quartet’s mission to share extraordinary saxophone music with listeners around the world.
The Curtis Project was made possible with generous support from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the Ditson Fund of Columbia University, and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.
See the official One Sheet here: The Curtis Project One Sheet
Record Label / Catalogue Number:
XAS Records/101
Release Date:
April 29, 2016
Track Listing
- Short Stories, I. Summer's Eve by Jennifer Higdon
- Short Stories, II. Chase by Jennifer Higdon
- Short Stories, III. Coyote Nights by Jennifer Higdon
- Short Stories, IV. Splashing the Canvas by Jennifer Higdon
- Short Stories, V. Lullaby by Jennifer Higdon
- Short Stories, VI. Stomp & Dance by Jennifer Higdon
- Josquin Microludes, I. Milles regretz de vous abandonner... by David Ludwig
- Josquin Microludes, II. et d’eslonger vostre fache amoureuse... by David Ludwig
- Josquin Microludes, III. jay si grand dueil et paine doloureuse... by David Ludwig
- Josquin Microludes, IV. quon me verra brief mes jours definer... by David Ludwig
- Josquin Microludes, V. ...brief mes jours definer... by David Ludwig
- The Dniester Flow by Kat Souponetsky
- Blossoming by Daniel Temkin
- Spring/Neap by Gabriella Smith
- Toccata by Thomas Oltarzewski
- Four Miniatures, I. by Tim Woos
- Four Miniatures, II. by Tim Woos
- Four Miniatures, III. by Tim Woos
- Four Miniatures, IV. by Tim Woos