Cineshape & Duos
Lindsey Goodman, Amy Williams, Kevin McFarland, Ari Streisfeld, Noah Getz, Scott Christian, JACK Quartet
A listener new to Amy Williams' world should not expect to need help entering it. Long an active pianist, Williams has internalized the work of Boulez, Nancarrow, Cage, Ligeti, Kurtág and Feldman, but confidently occupies the present. In fact her work combines attributes often considered opposites: it is rigorous, yet playful; abstract yet personal; stylish but as bracingly frank as a cold shower. With her music, one encounters a radiant intelligence and clear sense of musical purpose that vaults past many of the issues customarily associated with discussion of new music. This recording consists of duos as well as her Cineshape series, which is a group of striking stand-alone chamber works that together form an impressive sequence on a symphonic scale. Amy Williams' compositions have been presented at important contemporary music venues worldwide and have been performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the JACK Quartet and many of the major new music ensembles. She has received numerous awards and commissions and is a U.S. Fulbright Scholar. A graduate of the University at Buffalo, she is on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and artistic director of the New Music On The Point Festival.
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Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| First Lines | Amy Williams | Lindsey Goodman, flute; Amy Williams, piano |
| Stop/Yield | Amy Williams | Kevin McFarland, cello; Amy Williams, piano |
| Wrest | Amy Williams | Ari Streisfeld, violin; Amy Williams, piano |
| Duo | Amy Williams | Noah Getz, saxophone; Andrew Welch, piano |
| Cineshape 1 | Amy Williams | Lindsey Goodman, flute; Scott Christian, percussion |
| Cineshape 3 | Amy Williams | Lindsey Goodman, flute; Kevin McFarland, cello; Scott Christian, percussion |
| Cineshape 4 | Amy Williams | Amy Williams, piano |
| Cineshape 5 | Amy Williams | Lindsey Goodman, flute; JACK Quartet |
Reviews
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"The beginning of the notes by Allen Shawn on this superb disc of new music is so immodest on Amy Williams' behalf as to almost sound like braggadocio. And within the circumscribed audiences for new music, what Shanw says is not only phenomenally accurate but revealing about what makes her work appealing – so much more, in fact, than a huge number of composers her age. The performance level here is so high that any worries about classical new music having too hopelessly narrow an audience to communicate clearly are more than a little absurd. The best recording of Williams' music yet."
*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.