Katherine Blumer
14th July 2020
What piece have you chosen? The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind – Osvaldo Golijov Why is it
Each month we ask a musician to share a piece they love and tell us why
Drawings for Meyoko by Angélica Negrón.
I could have chosen any of the pieces from I am Not – the debut album by Flute, Harp and Viola trio Janus – but Drawings for Meyoko encapsulates everything I love about the album. I’m attracted to the stylistic pluralism of Janus and this track makes subtle allusion to many styles. The modal harmony and use of repeating patterns evokes a deep nostalgia; not for any specific time, place or person but a general sensation of reflection and yearning which I find incredibly powerful. Negrón has discussed the importance of nostalgia in her work and exploring more of her music has been an enriching experience.
Meyoko is an artist whose illustrations inspired this work so looking at some of her pieces might be an interesting starting point. Sonically the piece is incredibly rich and I would listen out for the banjo part, backing vocals, and atmospheric paper scrunching. What I love though is the combination of tape with live performance. There is lots of space within the ensemble writing for the tape to come through and this creates some of the fascinating textures and structure of the piece.
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Will Frampton is a composer whose works have been commissioned and performed by ensembles such as Psappha Ensemble, the orchestra of Opera North, Quatuor Danel, Ligeti Quartet, No Dice Collective, and Berkeley Ensemble. A recording of Will’s song cycle setting ancient Babylonian texts Enuma Elish, performed by Marsyas Trio and Soprano Rachel Duckett, was released in 2018. Will’s music takes an ever broadening range of influences and current projects include an electronica duo with violinist Rhiannon Bedford.
What piece have you chosen? The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind – Osvaldo Golijov Why is it
Anamnesis (after Tōru Takemitsu) for cello and guitar by Marek Pasieczny. I love this piece because it uses the resonance
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