John CROFT: Seirenes

£10.99 + P&P

“The sirens are ‘entwiners’ (from the Greek seiraô, to bind or entwine). In John Croft’s Seirenes, whose five movements form the centrepiece of this disc, the title refers to the way in which lines twist together and entangle to form a single, slow melody, sometimes distinct, sometimes obscured, as if carried by the wind. This cycle is presented alongside three pieces for soloist and live electronics, exploring the various ways that the sound of an instrument can be treated and transformed in real time, to create new colours, intensities, and haloes of sound.”

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Description

Released 6 September 2019

SEIRENES [FHR87]

John CROFT (1971-)
1. Intermedio I [for bass flute and live electronics]
Richard Craig bass flute

2. Peisinoë (Seirenes Ia) [for viola]
Emma Richards viola

3. Ligeia (Seirenes Ib) [for flute]
Richard Craig flute

4. Duo (Seirenes II) [for viola and guitar)
Emma Richards viola
Diego Castro Magaš guitar

5. Trio (Seirenes III) [for bass flute, viola and cello]
Richard Craig bass flute
Emma Richards viola
Alice Purton cello

6. Quartet (Seirenes IV) [for alto flute, guitar, viola, cello]
Richard Craig alto flute
Diego Castro Magaš guitar
Emma Richards viola
Alice Purton cello

7. La terra lagrimosa…una luce vermiglia [for cello and live electronics]
Séverine Ballon cello

8. Intermedio III [for bass clarinet and live electronics]
Marij van Gorkom bass clarinet

Intermedio III: ‘a perfect integration of instrumental properties and electronics … a fragile equilibrium in which tension and virtuosic quality is felt during the entire composition’ (Jury, Prix Ton Bruynèl 2012)

Recorded at St Tegfan’s Church, Llandegfan, Anglesey [1 and 3]; Church of the Ascension,
Plumstead, London [track 2]; Manna Oak, Ludlow [tracks 4-8], 2014-2019
Engineered and produced by John Croft • 24bit, 96kHz hi-resolution recording and mastering
Album cover: detail from Ulysses and the Sirens by H.J. Draper (c.1909)
Artwork by David Murphy
Booklet notes by Richard Whitehouse

Press Quotes

“It must be said at the outset: this music is beautiful… With his first portrait CD, this fabulous work can reach a much wider listenership. Performers, festival organizers, take notice” (TEMPO)

“…. If I had to categorize Croft’s compositions, I might call them Spectral, but that would also be a kind of detraction from the music’s originality and impact. Disconcerting, darkly beautiful and sometimes even implying modality, Croft’s tone poems—because that’s really what they are—prove absorbing, challenging and ultimately rewarding.” (Fanfare Magazine)