Chaya Chernowin: Wintersongs

Featuring

Steven Schick
Kai Wessel
Jeffrey Gavett
William Schimmel
International Contemporary Ensemble
Chaya Czernowin

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Performer Biography

Kai Wessel, the contra tenor on this album, is a leading countertenor for whom many contemporary composers, including Chaya Czernowin, have written parts and works.

Composition History

The 'Wintersongs' series by Chaya Czernowin began around 2002 and evolved over many years, with the composer initially planning a narrative of high contrast and a hidden 'love song' layer.

Composition History

The first 'Wintersongs' piece became a lament for composer Chaya Czernowin after the death of her close friend, composer Mark Osborn, at age 33.

Performer Biography

Steven Schick, the conductor and percussionist on this album, has championed contemporary percussion music by commissioning or premiering over 150 new works, many of which have become core repertoire for solo percussion.

Composer Biography

Chaya Czernowin, the composer, was the first woman appointed as a composition professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria, and later became the Walter Bigelow Rosen Professor of Music at Harvard University.

Compositional Technique

The 'Wintersongs' series by Chaya Czernowin evolved from an initial septet with electronics, with later versions adding percussion and reinterpreting the instrumental material, like a photograph that could be painted on, written on, or have elements erased.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer Chaya Czernowin aims to create music of the subconscious that goes beyond style conventions or rationality, using metaphor, noise, and physical parameters to achieve a vital, visceral, and direct sonic experience.