Christopher Cerrone's "Invisible Cities": The Album

by Ted Gordon on Nov. 24, 2014, 11:22 a.m.

If you haven't heard about Christopher Cerrone's opera Invisible Cities, based on the novel by Italo Calvino, let us give you a primer: workshopped in 2009 at the New York City Opera, performed in 2011 at Columbia University with Red Light New Music, fully staged and performed in Los Angeles' Union Station by The Industry in 2013, and nominated as a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2014. And if that weren't enough, a studio recording by The Industry is now available for digital download, and limited-edition CD Box Set. We'd recommend the box set: designed by Traci Larson, it includes a laser-cut wooden box with postcards, images, and texts from the "Invisible Cities" of Calvino's novel, as well as the recordings of Cerrone's opera. Each of the 500 boxes is signed by Cerrone, and serves as a powerful reminder of the live concert experience.

And in case you missed the performance in Union Station, The Industry has launched a new website with an immersive video experience to give you an idea of what it was like. As composer John Adams says, "Listen to Christopher Cerrone's Invisible Cities on headphones, preferably in the dark. Your mind's eye will will with sonic phantoms, darting shapes, tolling bells, snarling brass, plangent voices and the rhythms of alien rituals."

The opera's Invisible Overture, for ensemble or chamber orchestra, is available for purchase from PSNY. Also be sure to check out Cerrone's other vocal music on PSNY, including How to Breathe Underwater, inspired by Jonathan Franzen's Freedom, and I Will Learn To Love A Person (available as chamber ensemble and piano/vocal versions), a song cycle based on poetry by Tao Lin.

"Invisible Cities" named 2014 Pulitzer Prize Finalist!

by Nick Comparato on April 16, 2014, 12:35 p.m.

After its tremendously successful premiere production last year at Los Angeles’ Union Station, Christopher Cerrone’s opera, Invisible Cities, was announced this week as a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Cerrone's Invisible Cities finds itself in good company: also named as a finalist is John Adams for The Gospel According to the Other Mary, with the 2014 Prize awarded to John Luther Adams for Become Ocean. Cerrone joins the ranks of Schott composers to be acknowledged by Pulitzer jurors, including Andrew Norman (whose The Companion Guide to Rome was a 2012 finalist) and Joseph Schwantner (who received the prize in 1979 for his Aftertones of Infinity).

Check out a recent trailer for Invisible Cities below: 

Cerrone has also recently been awarded a project grant from New Music USA for the production of a premiere studio recording of the opera, to be released by The Industry Records. Check out the New Music USA project site for more information.

The opera’s overture, Invisible Overture, is for sale now from PSNY, and a vocal score will be available shortly. The full opera will soon be published and available worldwide from Schott Music.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes...

by Ted Gordon on April 16, 2012, 3:36 p.m.

It's been an unbelievable past few days: first, the Guggenheim Foundation announced their 2012 Fellows, which included PSNY Composers Keeril Makan, Kate Soper, and Alex Mincek, as well as Schott composer Xiaogang Ye. And just this afternoon, the Pulitzer Prize board announced that Andrew Norman's "The Companion Guide to Rome" was a 2012 Finalist! 

It's not hard to hear why the panel liked Andrew's work so much... 

Oh, and did I mention that you can purchase performance material right here on PSNY? String quartets, get on this!