Finland / USA, 2011, modern classical / chamber music
All these tracks were composed by the Finnish composers but commissioned and performed in part by the American quartet. Recorded between 2007 and 2010, these pieces were originally played at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s festivals in 2004 and 2007, and after the recording at an international music festival in the Czech Republic in 2012. Interesting little sidenote: Ben Frost did the programming for these recordings. This is a beautiful blending of electronic sampling and the sounds of classical instruments such as the string ensemble and folk instruments such as the accordion. A courageous strain of melancholic energy runs through this album, vivifying what might otherwise grow cold and grey.
Museum Musica 