This is a big area, there’s a lot of it, and much of it is good, so I thought I’d start a thread, if only to collect it all together.
I’ll kick it off with something I’ve been listening to this morning, a lyrical, gruff assemblage of cello pieces by Ralph Shapey called Krosnick Soli, played on this CD by Scott Kluksdahl. Written in 1983. I think it uses some sort of scordatura, and the result is a really striking contrast between the lower registers and the higher ones, as if the lower string is an intruder in the party. Each of the Krosnick soli has a distinctive emotional flavour, but the piece manages to work as a whole, unified in some way by its harmonies I guess.
It’s been a while since I listened to Shapey and in truth I’d forgotten what an interesting, spiritual, composer he is. There’s a lot of his music on record now - quartets, piano etc.
