AnEarful: Monthly Listening

Jeremy Shatan, the omnivorous listener behind AnEarful, shines a light on a wide variety of music, including “In A Grove,” with music by Christopher Cerrone and libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann. More info »

Christopher Cerrone is a composer who has been consistently rewarding over the last several years. One thing he specialized in a bit is art song. The way he pays attention to every word as he shapes the music around it really illuminates the subject matter and also provides just a great listening experience. He can work with small forces, big forces; he really is incredibly adaptable.
It's no surprise that he has finally turned his attention to an opera, working with librettist Stephanie Fleischman. They have adapted Ryūnosuke Akutagawa’s “In A Grove.” If that title sounds familiar, it was adapted as Rashōmon, and gave us a whole new way to look at what happens when more than one person witnesses an occurrence. In this case, of course, a murder.
The way they create a soundscape in the recording really captures the mysterious and immersive spirit of Akutagawa’s work… You heard John Taylor Ward, Chuanyuan Liu, Andrew Turner, and Lindsay Kesselman in the vocal parts. The excellent Metropolis Ensemble performed the music. And one thing that's so great about this recording is that it really is a recording. It's not just a calling card for a live experience. They just put everything into it that you can do in the studio: electronics and overdubs. It’s immersive, it's compulsively listenable. Highly recommended.