EMO Ensemble - Maasta of the Earth - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

?Antonio Caldara, a native of Venice, spent almost two decades at the beginning of the 18th century in the service of the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI as Vice-Kapellmeister. His musical duties also included supplying the Vienna Court Opera with a constant stream of new works. The present programme is based on extensive research by the bass Alexandre Baldo in the Vienna National Library. In the manuscripts of Caldara's vocal works, Baldo repeatedly came across bass arias that impressed him for their virtuosity and expressiveness. Baldo discovered that Caldara had written them without exception for Christoph Praun, a highly esteemed bass player and member of the imperial court orchestra at the time. For this recording, Alexandre Baldo presents a selection of arias composed by Caldara for Praun between 1717 and 1736.

Yongbom Lee's music is characterized by continuous streams of sound and a finely balanced interplay between instrumental and electronic elements. Shaped by his intercultural background, Lee is particularly interested in the intersections and distances between contrasting concepts - such as the foreign and the familiar, or the conscious and the unconscious. Booklet author Leonie Reineke elaborates InchAmbiguity is another concept associated with the focus on spaces, a theme running through all the compositions on the album. Suspended states, associative developments, as when dreaming, and musical situations in which anything can develop from anything else recur time and again.InchThe work InchImaginary RoomsInch, performed by Ensemble Recherche, moves between a progressive narrative and fragmentary snapshots. In InchDépaysementInch, the composer again explores the coexistence of opposing ideas the first movement grants the musicians of the Broken Frames Syndicate improvisational freedom, while the second is written in a strictly traditional manner. The title piece, InchContinuous DeformationInch, for cello (Kyubin Hwang) and live electronics (Yongbom Lee), reflects his engagement with neuroscience - linking the performer's sound production and brain activity, and guiding listeners through overtone landscapes.

Metier Records proudly presents InchResonating Earth,Inch the latest album by acclaimed pianist Carolyn Enger. Resulting from a multimedia project, developed in collaboration with producer and video artist Elliott Forrest, visual artist Myles Aronowitz, and photographer/activist J. Henry Fair, the work addresses the urgent climate crisis through the transformative power of music and art.Resonating Earth emerged from Enger's profound connection to nature and her dedication to environmental activism. Living in a wooden house outside Manhattan, Enger draws inspiration from the natural vibrations of her seven-foot Steinway piano, her personal yoga and meditation practices, and her profound love for the planet. This album, born from those inspirations, offers a sonic environment conducive to contemplation and openness, featuring a diverse collection of compositions that span multiple generations and schools of thought.The album opens and closes with works by Meredith Monk, whose pieces InchQuarry WaltzInch and InchEllis IslandInch frame the program with themes of totalitarianism and the promise of freedom. Interwoven throughout are compositions by Marcos Balter, Nico Muhly, Wolfgang Rihm, Missy Mazzoli, John Cage, John Luther Adams, Philip Glass, Iman Habibi, Caroline Shaw, and Sean Hickey-each bringing unique perspectives and emotional depth to the project.Key highlights include Marcos Balter's Bagatelle A piece filled with simple, spare gestures fading into chasms of silence, creating a resonant environment for reflection.Nico Muhly's Lilt Broadcasting assurance through steady rising fourths and hymn-like melody.John Luther Adams's Nunataks Inspired by the solitary peaks of glaciers, evoking human isolation and vulnerability in the face of climate change.Iman Habibi's in the brittle quietude Reflecting on the pandemic's impact and hoping for a more equitable and cons