Premiere recordings of Saariaho and Hosokawa take the spotlight on this show, along with a centenary celebration for Chou Wen-chung (1923–2019) featuring reminiscences from Bright Sheng and Chen Yi, two of the “great generation” of Chinese composers who followed Chou from China to New York after the Cultural Revolution ended. Plus, Sam Pluta and Wet Ink Large Ensemble unveil a newfangled concertino for video game and chamber orchestra, while Kate Gentile pursues a Braxtonian approach to hybrid composition with International Contemporary Ensemble. Yikii and Lary 7 offer more mechanical takes on industrial life in their new solo albums, as the Nagano/Falcón duo, the Grdina/Maneri/Lillinger trio and the Quebecois sextet Allochtone offer improvisational perspectives from four continents. Seattleite Doug Haire draws more prosaic influences from the sound of breeze and nature, and a cameo from Emerson, Lake & Palmer (via our 50 years ago in the avant-garde feature) rounds out the playlist.
