composition as explanation
CD
CD
CD
Four-time Grammy-winning sextet, Eighth Blackbird (8BB), “one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet” (Chicago Tribune), presents the world premiere recording of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang’s composition as explanation, based on Gertrude Stein’s seminal 1926 lecture of the same name. Called “Super Chamber Music” by David Lang, this multidisciplinary work incorporates elements of chamber music, theater, and performance art; it has the groundbreaking ensemble not only performing the music, but also speaking and singing Stein’s text. For the performance, the 8BB players committed themselves to a rigorous education process, including lessons in acting, diction, and the art of theater. Musical America praised 8BB’s live performance of Lang’s work as “every bit as witty, circular, and self-referential as Stein’s own prose; it’s rare, not to mention utterly satisfying, to hear a work that so completely embodies its text. To invoke Stein, one suspects Composition as Explanation will be a work of our time for many times to come.” In 2016, 8BB asked David Lang to propose a project that they could perform at the Chicago Arts Club in conjunction with the Club’s centennial year. In his research, Lang discovered that Stein had spoken at the Club in 1934; this led him to employ Stein’s text as the basis for the piece. This is Eighth Blackbird’s 12th album for Cedille Records. Four have won Grammy Awards: Filament, meanwhile, Lonely Motel: Music from Slide, and Strange Imaginary Animals. Founded in 1996, Chicago-based 8BB has been described by the Los Angeles Times as “a new breed of super-musicians,” for their mastery of a diverse and eclectic new music repertoire.
composition as explanation is produced by 8BB members Matthew Duvall and Lisa Kaplan and Grammy-winning engineers Emily Lazar and Bill Maylone. It was recorded in the Court Theatre at the University of Chicago, September 28–October 1, 2023.
Album Details
Producers
Matthew Duvall, Lisa Kaplan, Emily Lazar, Bill Maylone
Recording Engineer
Bill Maylone
Live Performance Engineer
Matthew McCabe
Editing and Mixing
Bill Maylone
Editing for Movements 5 and 11
Matthew Duvall
Mastering Engineer
Emily Lazar at The Lodge
Steinway Piano Technician
Josh Younger
Recorded
September 28–October 1, 2023, Court Theatre at the University of Chicago
Photos
Alex Boerner
Artwork
Original decoupage by Lisa Kaplan
Graphic Design
Bark Design
Publishers
Copyright © 2022 by Red Poppy Ltd. (ASCAP)
Represented Worldwide by G. Ricordi & Co./Universal Music Publishing Classical