Episode: 122 — July 1, 2021
Molly Joyce: "United and Divided" for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
Performed by Unheard-of//Ensemble

Last fall, the New York-based ensemble, Unheard-of Ensemble, got together for two intensive periods of music making. In order to safely rehearse together at that time, they had to live together and follow COVID-19 testing rules. Throughout that period of continuous rehearsing, they ended up tackling multiple programs worth of music. This House Music series video, of composer Molly Joyce’s United and Divided, was one of the recordings they made. Unheard-of had originally commissioned the piece for a season that was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Releasing it now is a culmination of months of back-and-forth, and a culmination of presenting works that they’d intended to be in-person, but ended up online.

Joyce and Unheard-of both have a history of fruitful collaboration with Metropolis Ensemble. Daniel Anastasio, a pianist and one of the core members of Unheard-of, has been a leader of the Blueprints Piano Series, an initiative that Metropolis worked on that bridges different styles of piano music together. Unheard-of has also performed at Metropolis’s venue, One Rivington. And, Joyce has worked closely with Metropolis over the years, curating concerts, leading the Ensemble’s social media and web initiatives, featuring in Metropolis’s digital music installation, Flame Keepers, and even releasing her own House Music series video last year.

Joyce’s United and Divided features an explosive unison that gradually disintegrates over time. The music ebbs and flows between bold, energetic moments and gossamer threads, ultimately exploring how in its intricate layers and subtle details, weakness in music reveals as much power as strength. Unheard-of recorded this rendition of the piece at Anastasio’s home in Connecticut. Unheard-of//Ensemble can be followed on Instagram and on Twitch.

Notes by Vanessa Ague

 
House Music: Bite-sized concerts recorded at homes around the world

In 2020-21, we created a weekly video series featuring short-form concerts of newly-commissioned works, supporting 208 artists around the world during the pandemic.