Goldbeater's Skin, by Christopher Cerrone

Goldbeater's Skin, music by Christopher Cerrone & texts by G.C. Waldrep
for percussion quartet and mezzo-soprano
Performed by Sandbox Percussion with Elspeth Davis

Recorded in a warehouse in Sunset Park, Brooklyn

Film by Four/Ten Media http://www.fourtenmedia.net

Audio recorded, edited, and mixed by Mike Tierney http://www.miketierneymusic.com

Commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting and the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.

More info at http://www.christophercerrone.com/gol...

BUY THE PIECE HERE
https://www.eamdc.com/psny/composers/...

Recording made possible through the generous support of the Alice F. Ditson Fund of Columbia University.

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MALLETS USED

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Robert van Sice Signature Series
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#vfM132 - Orchestral Series
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#vfM141 - Orchestral Series
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#vfM155 - Ensemble Series
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ABOUT THE PIECE:

Goldbeater’s Skin is a seven movement song cycle based on poetry by G.C. Waldrep from his collection of poetry of the same name. G.C.’s poems are often deeply imagistic; the source of each reference would be impossible to trace; yet each poem leads inexorably to a potent and dramatic conclusion. As I sifted through the collection, I chose poems whose references overlapped to create connective tissue; some references are more specific than others, but almost all of them are concerned with companionship—whether deep friendship, or love. The challenge of writing a work for voice and percussion quartet is obvious: four drummers are much louder than one voice, and I wanted the musicians in the quartet to have moments to shine as well. I constructed a series of interludes (two proper and one faux interlude), each focused on a single kind of idiophone—wood; metal; then, appropriately enough, skin.

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ABOUT THE COMPOSER:

Winner of a 2015 Rome Prize and a finalist for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize, the Brooklyn- based composer Christopher Cerrone is internationally acclaimed for compositions characterized by a subtle handling of timbre and resonance, a deep literary fluency, and a flair for multimedia collaborations. He has received commissions from the LA Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, eighth blackbird, and the Calder Quartet, among others and his opera, Invisible Cities, was heard in a ground-breaking production from The Industry. Christopher Cerrone holds degrees from the Yale School of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, and is published by Schott NY and Project Schott New York.

More info at http://www.christophercerrone.com/bio

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ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:

Elspeth Davis is a Brooklyn-based mezzo-soprano specializing in contemporary chamber music. This season, she sang György Ligeti’s Síppal, dobbal, nádihegedüvel with Sandbox Percussion at PASIC. Ms. Davis will be performing it again over the summer at Trinity Wall Street, in a program that also includes Christopher Cerrone’s companion piece, Goldbeater’s Skin. She'll also be performing a premiere of Eleanor and Hildegard, by composer Kevin Clark, with The Sound Ensemble in Seattle, as well as a repeat performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, with her Two Cities duo partner Melissa Wimbish. You can also listen to her every (well, almost every) Friday, as a cohost of the music podcast Opera After Dark.

More info at https://www.elspethdavis.com


Lauded by The Washington Post as “revitalizing the world of contemporary music” with “jawdropping virtuosity,” Sandbox Percussion has established themselves as a leading proponent in this generation of contemporary percussion chamber music. Brought together by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together, Sandbox Percussion captivates audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning. Through compelling collaborations with composers and performers, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney seek to engage a wider audience for classical music.

More info at http://www.sandboxpercussion.com