New album of works by Margaret Brouwer released on April 8 on Naxos
World premiere recordings of 21st century chamber and vocal music by the award-winning composer
(Brouwer) has a talent for taking the simplest melody and through her expansive array of compositional techniques, develop it into a polished musical gem. — ClevelandClassical
Margaret Brouwer is a composer who wears her heart on her sleeve. Her new album, “Reactions - Songs and Chamber Music”, (Naxos 8.559904, rel. April 8, 2022) is a collection of chamber music and songs that explicitly express the composer’s emotions, moods and unique view of the state of affairs of the world.
The centerpiece of the album is Declaration, for mezzo-soprano, violin and piano. This set of four songs has texts ranging from Thomas Jefferson to Brouwer herself, which address the fundamental issues and effects of violence and war and the equality of all people.
In Rhapsodic Sonata, for viola and piano, Brouwer expresses a more personal, and no less deep, emotion: the joys and difficulties of love. The most recent work on the album is “I Cry – Summer 2020” for violin and piano. It’s the composer’s response to the pandemic, isolation, loss, and racial injustice that she, and much of the rest of the world, suffered in 2020. Brouwer effectively fits all of it into this compact four minute piece.
The collection concludes with comic release, persuasively performed by Mari Sato as both violinist and narrator. “All Lines Are Still Busy" dramatizes a “please hold” moment that we all can relate to.
Most of the selections on the album were recorded in Cleveland at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where Brouwer was head of the composition department from 1996 – 2008. The recordings were made in 2021, at the height the pandemic.
Brouwer is that rarity, a contemporary composer whose music is accessible and engaging for a wide range of audiences, but whose work doesn't sound like movie music. — St. Louis Post Dispatch
Reactions
Songs and Chamber Music by Margaret Brouwer
Rhapsodic Sonata · Declaration · The Lake
I Cry - Summer 2020 · All Lines are Still Busy
with Eliesha Nelson, viola; Shuai Wang, piano;
Sarah Beaty, mezzo-soprano; Mari Sato, violin; and Brian Skoog, tenor
Naxos (8.559904)
Release Date: April 8, 2022
Track List
[01-03] Rhapsodic Sonata
I. Cáritas 10:31
II. …fair as the moon, bright as the sun… 04:47
III. Blithesome Spirit 04:54
Eliesha Nelson, viola; Shuai Wang, piano
[04-07] Declaration
I. Thorn 04:29
II. Scattering in Fear 02:30
III. …all men and women are… 01:12
IV. Whom do you call angel now 05:30
Sarah Beaty, mezzo-soprano; Mari Sato, violin; Shuai Wang, piano
[08] I Cry - Summer 2020 03:57
Mari Sato, violin; Shuai Wang, piano
[09] The Lake 11:09
Brian Skoog, tenor; Shuai Wang, piano
[10] All Lines Are Still Busy 06:19
Mari Sato, violin and narrator
Total Time = 55:18
Recommended tracks for classical radio:
[2] Rhapsodic Sonata: …fair as the moon, bright as the sun…
[7] Declaration: Whom do you call angel now
[8] I Cry - Summer 2020
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The composer Margaret Brouwer has been praised for her “gift for both lyricism and humor” (American Record Guide), with her music described as “utterly luminous in its beauty” (St. Louis Post Dispatch).
The 2022 recording of Brouwer’s music, “Reactions” (Naxos Classics) features performances by members of Blue Streak Ensemble, a chamber group that Brouwer founded in 2011. It is one of a dozen titles in her discography, which includes recordings of selections from her catalogue of over 200 orchestral, chamber, vocal and keyboard compositions.
Margaret Brouwer is in high demand for new works, as evidenced by the extensive list of orchestras, chamber ensembles and festivals who have commissioned and performed her music. Topping the list are the St. Louis, Seattle, Dallas and Royal Scottish symphonies and the City of Birmingham Orchestra. She was head of composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music (1996 – 2008), and her long list of awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship, American Academy of Arts and Letters and Cleveland Arts Prize.