Stranger - Works For Tenor By Nico Muhly

Description

Twice Grammy-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan is "one of the world's most remarkable singers" (Boston Globe). Nico Muhly is one of today's most sought-after composers. Nick and Nico's collaboration began with a commission when Nick curated a series for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society in 2020. The resulting song cycle, Stranger, finds common ground in the musicians' reflections on identity and immigration, themes that resonate as much today as they have through the centuries. This world-premiere recording of Stranger compliments Nico's Lorne Ys My Liking, a setting of the 19th Chester Mystery Play, and Impossible Things, a triptych of poems by the Greek poet C.P. Cavafy. Nick has recorded with a roll call of collaborators: the adventurous string quartet Brooklyn Rider, shimmering countertenor Reginald Mobley, bold pianist Lisa Kaplan, and transformative Brooklyn-based collective The Knights led by brothers Colin and Eric Jacobsen.

Nico Muhly, born in 1981, is an American composer who writes orchestral music, works for the stage, chamber music and sacred music. He's received commissions from The Metropolitan Opera: Two Boys (2011) and Marnie (2018); Carnegie Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, Wigmore Hall, the Tallis Scholars, King's College and St John's College, Cambridge, among others. He is a collaborative partner at the San Francisco Symphony and has been featured at the Barbican and the Philharmonie de Paris as composer, performer, and curator. An avid collaborator, he has worked with choreographers Benjamin Millepied at the Paris Opéra Ballet, Bobbi Jene Smith at the Juilliard School, Justin Peck and Kyle Abraham at New York City Ballet; artists Sufjan Stevens, The National, Teitur, Anohni, James Blake and Paul Simon. His work for film includes scores for for The Reader (2008) and Kill Your Darlings (2013), and the BBC adaptation of Howards End (2017). Among his concerti are works for violin, (Shrink, for Pekka Kuusisto), organ (Register, for James McVinnie), viola (Nadia Sirota), two pianos (In Certain Circles, for Katia and Marielle Labeque) and his vocal collaborators include Iestyn Davies, Renée Fleming, and Nicholas Phan. He has collaborated with visual artists Maira Kalman and Oliver Beer, and has created site-specific pieces for the National Gallery, London, and the Art Institute of Chicago, and written articles for the Guardian, the New York Times, and the London Review of Books. Recordings of his works have been released by Decca and Nonesuch, and he is part of the artist-run record label Bedroom Community, which released his first two albums, Speaks Volumes
(2006) and Mothertongue (2008).

Critical Acclaim:

"the wordless but emotive violin (played by Colin Jacobsen) expresses the unspoken feelings and desires in Cavafy's poetry, deepening the meaning of the works and the impact of Phan's entrancing and enigmatic performance." – Opera News Critic's Choice, October 2022

"his [Muhly] Brittenish writing for piano and voice is suffused with warmth and bleakness. The clarity of Phan's singing and, on Lorne ys my Likinge, that of the countertenor Reginald Mobley, gives the texts emotional force" – The Sunday Times

Critical Acclaim for Nicholas Phan:

"This personal and deeply-felt album from star tenor Nicholas Phan offers a powerful exploration of what 'national identity' might mean."

"Phan, on splendidly expressive form, is well matched by violinist Colin Jackson and chamber collective The Knights." - BBC Music Magazine, Performance 4 STARS, Recording 4 STARS

"It's hard to imagine these Boulanger songs could have more convincing advocacy." – The Guardian (on Clairières, AV2414)

"one of the most beautiful young lyric voices around" – Opera News

"Phan's singing is both sultry and refined" – WQXR-NYC (on Illuminations, AV2382)

"Phan's sheer sensitivity is a delight. An absorbing disc and an ideal introduction to the joys of lieder." – TheArtsDesk.com (on Gods & Monsters, AV2368)