Mason Bates's "Alternative Energy" is an "energy symphony" that spans four movements and hundreds of years, depicting the evolution of energy from a 19th-century junkyard to a future Icelandic rainforest.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center in February 2012, with Mason Bates's work recorded earlier in the month than Anna Clyne's.
Performer Biography
Riccardo Muti, the conductor, became the tenth music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2010, following over forty years of experience with other major orchestras.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Anna Clyne's "Night Ferry" is a sonic portrait of voyages, exploring both natural journeys and physical, mental, and emotional states.
Compositional Technique
Mason Bates's "Alternative Energy" incorporates actual recordings from the Fermilab particle collider and features a recurring "crank motif" that rhythmically embodies increasing energy.
Compositional Technique
For "Night Ferry," Anna Clyne simultaneously painted on large canvases while composing the music, using the visual timeline to spark musical ideas and structure.
Recording & Production
Both works on this album, Anna Clyne's Night Ferry and Mason Bates's Alternative Energy, were commissioned for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by The Louise Durham Mead Fund.
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