William Susman: Scatter My Ashes

by William Susman, Octet Ensemble

Overview

Those curious as to the next developments in the sphere increasingly unsatisfactorily termed minimalism might try out the music of American composer William Susman, who has been active since the early 1980s. The four works heard here were, with one exception, composed between 2009 and 2011, may be taken as state-of-the-art examples of this style world. Susman favors angular, repetitive rhythmic units and generally consonant tonality. His music might at times be taken for that of John Adams or of Michael Daugherty, but it is not derivative of either of those examples. Susman does not simply refer to popular styles but incorporates a layer of them, principally jazz and Afro-Latin percussion, as a structural element. Even more appealing, here he finds ways of slicing up his concert-music models, and for that matter his popular ones, into compact units: two sets of songs, an instrumental three-movement octet, and a satisfying little piano concerto comprising six distinctive, abstract movements that could be presented by any organization with modest resources. The songs feature accessible texts from the composer's sister, Sue Susman; one of them seems to refer to the Lovin' Spoonful's Summer in the City. The opening chamber piece, Camille, is entrancing, seemingly simple but not exactly resembling any readily recalled model. The album was produced by the composer and recorded at a studio in New York; it is sonically well ahead of comparable releases. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/10/2014
Label:	BELARCA
UPC:	0689466779523

Tracks

1. Camille~1. Vitality
2. Camille~2. Tranquility
3. Camille~3. Triumph
4. Scatter My Ashes~Scatter my ashes
5. Scatter My Ashes~The night tree
6. Scatter My Ashes~Even in the dark
7. Scatter My Ashes~Only clear space inside
8. Scatter My Ashes~Eternal light
9. Piano Concerto
10. Moving In To An Empty Space~Hot time
11. Moving In To An Empty Space~Begging the night for change
12. Moving In To An Empty Space~Moving in to an empty space

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Octet Ensemble   Primary Artist,Ensemble
William Susman   Primary Artist
Demetrius Spaneas   Conductor

Technical Credits

Ana Sophia Dunham   Mixing Assistant
Sue Susman   Text
Ben Swift   Cover Photo
Daniel Sofer   Cover Design
William Susman   Producer,Composer
Stephen Hart   Mixing
Josiah Gluck   Recording
John Kilgore   Liner Notes,Recording,Mixing
Alan Silverman   Mastering