Timo Andres' "Early to Rise" and Home Stretch

by Ted Gordon on Aug. 28, 2013, 2:52 p.m.

Earlier in the summer, Timo Andres-- composer-pianist, graphic design enthusiast, and excellent home cook-- wrote a new string quartet, commissioned by the Library of Congress' Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music, which premeired in May and is now available through PSNY. The quartet, entitled Early to Rise, combines a work ethic, economy of means, and compactness of action that somehow reminds us of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Shaker furniture, and New American Color photography, all at once. (No wonder that Andres chose a William Eggleston photo for the cover of his new album- but we're getting ahead of ourselves!). Taking a five-note ostinato from Schumann's Gesänge der Frühe, Andres crafts a four-movement string quartet that lasts all of ten minutes, crafting a tidy, expressive, and intricate work that takes Schumann's sentiments and explodes them. A hot gem of a piece-- check it out! 

And of course, we don't need to remind you to check out Timo's recent album on Nonesuch, Home Stretch, but we will. This album contains a recording of its titular work, Home Stretch, composed as a companion piece to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12, as well as Andres' re-invention of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 26, and Andres' Paraphrase on Themes of Brian Eno, all performed by the Metropolis Ensemble. It's gotten some fantastic reviews. So as the summer reaches its own home strech, and the temperature grows colder, and you start to crave some music for piano and chamber ensemble... well, you know what to do. 

News From Ann Cleare and Timothy Andres

by Ted Gordon on June 19, 2013, 12:11 p.m.

Ann Cleare, one of the more recently added composers on our PSNY roster, has recently been awarded the Staubach Honoraria for Composition, a prize awarded by the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music. Chosen from over 130 applications, Ann Cleare's works were selected for this prestigious prize, which commissions composers to write a new work for one of the Darmstadt's resident ensembles, as well as awarding them a full scholarship for the summer course. Cleare will be writing a new work for the Curious Chamber Players, an avant-garde ensemble from Stockholm, to be premiered in the summer of 2014. Cleare is already working on commissions for Ensemble Nikel and New York's own Yarn/Wire for the 2014 season, so we greatly look forward to her new work in the summer! For an idea of Cleare's ensemble writing, check out a recording of her 2007 work, Dorchadas: 

We're also excited to announce that Timo Andres has written a new string quartet - Early to Rise - which is now available here on PSNY. The most recent in a series of Schumann-inspired pieces, Early to Rise was commissioned by The Library of Congress Dina Koston and Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music and premiered by the Attacca Quartet. 

Timo will also be releasing a new album on Nonesuch Records, entitled Home Stretch. The album will contain Timo's new work, Home Stretch, composed as a companion piece to Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 12, as well as his re-invention of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 26 in D, "Coronation", and his Paraphrase on Themes of Brian Eno, all performed with the Metropolis Chamber Ensemble. Here's a short excerpt of Timo performing his Mozart re-invention with the Metropolis Ensemble in 2011:

Home Stretch will be Timo's second album with Nonesuch; the first, Shy and Mighty, contains pieces for two pianos, including a two-piano version of How Can I Live In Your World Of Ideas?, available on PSNY as a work for solo piano. Other solo piano works available on PSNY include At The River , Sorbet, and It Takes A Long Time To Become A Good Composer. 

Springtime for New Music

by Ted Gordon on March 13, 2012, 2:25 p.m.

A lot has happened at PSNY since we last brought you news of the first ever digital publication of Morton Subotnick's chamber music: we've added almost 20 new works by several of our composers, including Adrian Knight, Timothy Andres, Alex Mincek, Tobias Picker, Pierre Jalbert, and Fred Lerdahl. Here are some highlights from this recent round of additions:

Adrian Knight's "Daedaldualism," for electric guitar, synthesizer, and live electronics:

Like Subotnick, Knight writes much of his chamber music to include electronics, both fixed and live. We're especially exited to be able to publish his music through PSNY since it seems a perfect fit for music with electronics-- all patches and programs are downloadable, and we're more than happy to answer any questions about the technical requirements. 

Alex Mincek's "Karate", for two saxophones:

"Karate" is just one of several pieces Mincek has written for saxophone, an instrument with which he is intimately familiar. "Karate," in particular, bursts with virtuosic, competitive tension, as two saxophones are seemingly pitted against each other in battle. Strongly reminiscent of John Zorn's early "game pieces" in structure, as well as the wildly frenetic aesthetic of "For Alto"-era Anthony Braxton.

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