Londons Riot Ensemble present works by four of the most important composers in contemporary music todayChaya Czernowin, Liza Lim, Rebecca Saunders, and Anna Thorvaldsdttiralongside rising star Mirela Ivicevic, who was commissioned as part of the ensembles 2017 Call for Scores. Four of the works are recorded here for the first time. Inspired by the poetry of Jalaluddin Rumi, Liza Lims violin concerto Speak, Be Silent, featuring American violinist Sarah Saviet as soloist, explores ideas of union and connection, as well as the ecstasy that comes at moments of change or transition. The atmospheric R - the Icelandic word for serenity - by Anna Thorvaldsdttir is a piece of quiet but threatening moods that eventually comes to convey a fragile sense of identity and wholeness. In stark contrast, Mirela Ivicevics Baby Magnify/Liliths New Toy features the capricious demon and seductress Lilith experimenting her way through a series of alchemical transformations. Raw sonic materials come to the fore once more in Chaya Czernowins Ayre... a study in forms of instrumental resistance, friction, and flow. Despite its title, it is not a song in any conventional sense but is instead a bare impression of musical line, extended, elongated, and unadorned. Finally, Rebecca Saunders Stirrings Still II continues a longstanding fascination with the writings of Samuel Beckett, sharing its title with Becketts final work of prose. Through its fragile and haunting soundworld, the pieces brittle textures and distant keening explore minute musical activities on the edge of extinction. Riot Ensemble is one of the UKs most ambitious new music ensembles. With an Artistic Board of 20 members and a wide network of performers, curators, commissioners, and collaborators, Riot Ensemble are dedicated to creating and producing a diverse array of projects in the UK and Europe.
