Songs of Ascension
| Songs of Ascension | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 13, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | November 2009 at Academy of Arts and Letters, New York. | |||
| Genre | Minimalism | |||
| Length | 67:27 | |||
| Label | ECM New Series[1] | |||
| Producer | Manfred Eicher | |||
| Meredith Monk chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
Songs of Ascension is an album by Meredith Monk.[3] It was released on May 13, 2011, by ECM New Series. It was recorded at the BAM Harvey Theater, in New York, in 2009.[4]
It peaked at No. 8 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Albums chart.[5]
Critical reception
The Washington Post called the recording "radiant," writing that "although simple in its means, it is unusually rich, for Monk, in its timbres and textures."[6] The Independent wrote that "it's an innovative, provocative but enjoyable work, exploring the relations between voices and instruments ... Tremendous stuff."[7]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Meredith Monk, except "Vow" co-written with Mieke van Hoek and "Clusters 3" co-written with Bohdan Hilash.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Clusters 1" | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Strand (Gathering)" | 1:55 |
| 3. | "Winter Variation" | 1:51 |
| 4. | "Cloud Code" | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Shift" | 1:51 |
| 6. | "Mapping" | 2:07 |
| 7. | "Summer Variation" | 3:16 |
| 8. | "Vow" | 3:12 |
| 9. | "Clusters 2" | 2:27 |
| 10. | "Falling" | 2:54 |
| 11. | "Burn" | 4:16 |
| 12. | "Strand (Inner Psalm)" | 3:12 |
| 13. | "Autumn Variation" | 2:48 |
| 14. | "Ledge Dance" | 1:50 |
| 15. | "Traces" | 1:20 |
| 16. | "Respite" | 5:56 |
| 17. | "Mapping Continued" | 1:29 |
| 18. | "Clusters 3" | 2:09 |
| 19. | "Spring Variation" | 4:03 |
| 20. | "Fathom" | 4:37 |
| 21. | "Ascent" | 9:26 |
Personnel
- Musicians
- Sasha Bogdanowitsch – vocals
- Heather J. Buchanan – conductor
- Sidney Chen – vocals
- Emily Eagen – vocals
- Ellen Fisher – shruti box, vocals
- Katie Geissinger – shruti box, vocals
- Ching Gonzalez – shruti box, vocals
- Bohdan Hilash – alto saxophone, bass clarinet, khene, shruti Box
- John Hollenbeck – percussion, shruti box, vocals
- Ha-Yang Kim – cello, vocals
- Meredith Monk – shruti box, vocals, mixing
- Holly Nadal – vocals
- Toby Newman – vocals
- Courtney Orlando – violin, vocals
- Bruce Rameker – shruti box, vocals
- Todd Reynolds – violin
- Peter Sciscioli – vocals
- Nadia Sirota – viola, vocals
- Allison Sniffin – shruti box, vocals
- Production
- Manfred Eicher – production, mixing
- James A. Farber – engineering, mixing
- Marion Gray – photography
- Sascha Kleis – design
- Paul Zinman – engineering
References
- ^ "SONGS OF ASCENSION MEREDITH MONK". ECM Records. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
- ^ Eddins, Stephen. "Meredith Monk: Songs of Ascension". Allmusic. Archived from the original on September 23, 2013.
- ^ "Meredith Monk | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Kozinn, Allan (October 22, 2009). "Bending Melodies on the Way to an Otherworldly Quest" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "Meredith Monk". Billboard.
- ^ Midgette, Anne (May 27, 2011). "CD review: Meredith Monk, ascending" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^ "Album: Meredith Monk, Songs of Ascension (ECM New Series)". The Independent. May 13, 2011. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022.