Meredith Monk

Songs of Ascension is a major new recording from composer Meredith Monk and her vocal ensemble. Written in 2008, it is conceived as a continuous composition, a departure from Monk’s earlier collaged or episodic extended works. In recent years Meredith Monk’s been expanding into the worlds of orchestra and string quartet. On Songs of Ascension she teams up with a string quartet of New York players well versed in new music. With winds, percussion and two vocal groups added to her already extraordinary singers, this is one of Monk’s most musically ambitious ventures. Voices and instruments are paired and balanced against each other to an extent rare in her music. Inspirations for the work included the Song of Ascents, a group of psalms said to have been sung during pilgrimages, and a timely invitation to perform at an 8-story tower designed by visual artist Ann Hamilton. Songs of Ascension finds Monk playing with the musical, sonic, metaphysical and literal connotations of upward movement.

MEREDITH MONK & VOCAL ENSEMBLE
Elle Fisher, Katie Geissinger
Ching Gonzalez, Meredith Monk,
Bruce Rameker, Allison Sniffin, voices

Bohdan Hilash, woodwinds
John Hollenbeck, percussion
Allison Sniffin,  violin

TODD REYNOLDS QUARTET
Todd Reynold, violin
Courtney Orlando, violin
Nadia Sirota, viola
Ha-Yang Kim, violoncello

with:
THE M6
Sasha Bogdanowitsch, Sidney Chen,
Emily Eagen, Holly Nadal, Toby Newman,
Peter Sciscioli, bass

MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY SINGERS
Heather J. Buchanan, conductor

Recorded November 2009

Tracks:

01. Clusters 1
02. Strand (gathering)
03. Winter Variation
04.Cloud Code
05. Shift
06. Mapping
07. Summer Variation
08. Vow
09. Clusters 2
10. Falling
11. Burn
12. Strand (inner psalm)
13. Autumn variation
14. Ledge Dance
15. Traces
16. Respite
17. Mapping Continued
18. Clusters 3
19. Spring Variation
20. Fathom
21. Ascent