ANNOUNCING: yMusic's "Ecstatic Science"
ANNOUNCING:
yMusic’s
Ecstatic Science
feat. music by Missy Mazzoli, Caroline Shaw, Gabriella Smith and Paul Wiancko.
out Feb. 14
Hailed as “one of the groups that has really helped to shape the future of classical music” by Fred Child on PRI's Performance Today, yMusic's impact in the music world is undeniable.
They recently brought their unorthodox instrumentation of trumpet, flute, clarinet and string trio to projects ranging from a world tour with Paul Simon to sold-out programs of commissioned music at Carnegie Hall. The group frequently collaborates with iconic artists such as choreographer/dancer Bill T. Jones and singer/songwriter Anohni.
If there is a common thread that runs through yMusic’s many projects, it’s the ensemble’s exquisite taste in collaborators, and Ecstatic Science is no exception. The five new works on the album retain the ensemble’s signature sound while pushing the group to new artistic heights.
From "Draft of a High-Rise," a three movement work from Pulitzer Prize-winner and Kanye West collaborator Caroline Shaw to title track "Ecstatic Science," a new piece from Missy Mazzoli—who made history as one of the first female composers to be commissioned by Metropolitan Opera—Ecstatic Science is brimming with collaborative genius. Paul Wiancko's "Thous&ths" shows the true symphonic potential of yMusic’s mixed instrumentation. Notably, the ensemble performs two tracks by Gabriella Smith, whose propulsive, unusual textures and tight structures are surprise standouts.
“We are all massive Gabriella Smith fans,” exclaims Nadia Sirota, yMusic's violist. “We are so excited to see where her career takes her over the next few years.”
yMusic’s work with artists across many genres influences them in countless ways, but perhaps most surprisingly, “these artists are drawn to the thornier stuff we do,” explains violinist Rob Moose. “Their admiration for our own work renews our interest in commissioning music and this album is a reflection of all of our experiences together in our first decade as a group.”
That admiration goes both ways. “I feel like the group has benefited so much from things as simple as being on a rock tour,” says Nadia. “Nothing compares to weeks and weeks of tightly-spaced performances for getting a group vibe together.”
Ecstatic Science puts that vibe on full display. The airplane-themed cover art was created by yMusic’s flutist Alex Sopp. She compares flying, one of the group's favorite activities, to the record's theme.
“The act of flying in a hulking metal contraption—weightless with the clouds—is itself an ecstatic science," she explains. "Just as the thought patterns and accessibility to emotion that I feel up there are. Being a person and seeing the tops of clouds is ecstatic science.”