About this project

Greetings!

I am putting together my first-ever solo CD.

The recording date/time/location/engineer/label and featured repertoire and performers have all been confirmed...but I need your help...

Overview

On 04-05 June, I will be collaborating with the top-flight German contemporary music group Ensemble SurPlus on 1) presenting a portrait concert and 2) producing a professional recording of recent ensemble and solo pieces.  Both the performance and recording session will take place at the prestigious Akademie Schloss Solitude, an artist residency program situated on the grounds of a famous Baroque castle nestled in the hills overlooking Stuttgart, Germany.

The pieces to be performed and recorded all belong to Nominal/Noumenal (2006-2009), two interlocking cycles of works for various chamber ensembles, soloists, electronics, and video, bearing a total duration of ca. 70 minutes. Later this year, a CD featuring the complete Nominal/Noumenal cycles will be commercially released on the Carrier label.

Why Now?

This project has been in the works for the past 2 years. Despite the performers' busy schedules, the level of activity @ Solitude, and my geographical displacement from Germany, we have finally landed upon a perfect date and time to collaborate--which is likely to be the only opportunity to carry out this project in the foreseeable future. Time is of the essence!

Why SurPlus?

In 2005, Ensemble SurPlus performed a piece of mine (il y va d'un certain pas [2004-2005]) at the Sommerakademie Schloss Solitude, a summer workshop for composers.  I was amazed at the performers' level of intensity, virtuosity, and commitment.

After that experience, the ensemble expressed interest in a future collaboration--as did I.

Here's a recording of SurPlus performing il y va d'un certain pas.

Fast forward to 2008: I return to the Schloss, this time as a Fellow on a 9-month residency--during which period I completed the Nominal/Noumenal cycles. Towards the end of the residency, Jean-Baptiste Joly, the Akademie director, proposed the concert/recording project in question. 

Over the past few months, scores and parts have been exchanged and a recording engineer and record label have been confirmed.

Now, it is only a matter of securing the necessary funding to make this proposed project a reality...

Why Nominal/Noumenal?

Nominal/Noumenal was originally conceived to be presented as a single evening-length event. However, for reasons both conceptual and practical, the pieces therein may also be performed individually.

To date, the 10 pieces comprising Nominal/Noumenal have been premiered on separate occasions by various performers under diverse acoustic conditions. Certain works have not yet been recorded. The live recordings that exist are uneven in sound quality.

Fortunately, the majority of these pieces happen to be compatible with Ensemble SurPlus' instrumentation and the Akademie's Guibal-Saal's acoustics are optimal. Furthermore, detritus I (the final Nominal/Noumenal installment, scored for countertenor, ensemble, electronics, and video) was performed by Ensemble Ascolta and recorded @ Solitude in 2009. This work will be included on the commercially-released CD (see below). 

What can you do to help?

Hiring a high-quality ensemble and recording engineer is an expensive proposition.  Resources are limited (especially for a composer), and the current EUR-USD exchange rate is, well...http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/

Solitude has kindly offered to cover performer fees and travel expenses. However, the Akademie project budget falls short of extending to recording-related fees.

Your support will enable me to defray the costs associated with recording, production, and post-production--the essential components of this project. 

As you can see, I am offering a unique assortment of pledge rewards--everything from a limited edition Nominal/Noumenal tote bag to a free, signed copy of the CD to a virtual tour of the castle. And if you make a generous donation at the $250 level, I will compose a brand new piece in your honor! 

What happens next?

I will be arriving @ Schloss Solitude the first week of June, in time for rehearsals with the ensemble.  The concert (open to the general public) will be held on Saturday, 04 June, followed by the recording session the following day.

The recording will be mastered and released by Carrier Records in early 2012.  This CD will include the pieces performed by SurPlus, as well as detritus I, xy xy I II III (for cimbalom and 3 percussion, as performed by Les Percussions de Strasbourg), and a "bonus" track. 

Thank you for your time, consideration, and support! I'm looking forward to sharing this music with you.

I will leave you with detritus II, for your viewing/listening pleasure:

Thanks!

-alex sigman