All works on this album were recorded in the Miriam A. Friedberg Concert Hall at The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Performer Biography
Blair McMillen, the pianist, is known for his imaginative and daring programming, with a repertoire spanning from late-medieval keyboard manuscripts to contemporary composers.
Recording & Production
This album is the second in a major survey of Michael Hersch's solo works for string instruments, focusing on his violin compositions from the past decade.
Composer Biography
Michael Hersch first gained international attention at age 25, winning First Prize in the American Composers Awards and later becoming one of the youngest composers to receive a Guggenheim Fellowship.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Michael Hersch's music is characterized by its unique world, using spare materials to create grippingly visceral and intense effects, often employing single attacks or precisely shaped crescendos.
Performer Biography
Miranda Cuckson, the violinist on this album, has been praised by The New York Times as a "superb violinist" and "a brilliant young performer who plays daunting contemporary music with insight, honesty, and temperament."
Compositional Technique
Many of Michael Hersch's works, including two on this recording, are accompanied by poetic texts that are meant to be read silently, adding multiple layers of meaning without being sung or spoken.
