New Sounds: Jennifer Grim at National Sawdust
Flutist Jennifer Grim is especially interested in recent works for the instrument, and her album Through Broken Time is a collection of Afro-modernist and post-minimalist compositions, mostly for flute and piano. But then there’s this work, called “Oxygen,” by New York composer Julia Wolfe, which calls for twelve flutes, from the high-pitched piccolo down to the hulking bass flute. On March 7, at National Sawdust, Jennifer Grim pre-records eleven of the flute parts and plays the twelfth part live, using that venue’s Meyer Sound spatial sound system to present a surround-sound version of the piece. Also on the program are works by Tania León, Alvin Singleton, David Sanford, and Allison Loggins-Hull.
New Sounds
By John Schaefer
Flutist Jennifer Grim is especially interested in recent works for the instrument, and her album Through Broken Time is a collection of Afro-modernist and post-minimalist compositions, mostly for flute and piano. But then there’s this work, called “Oxygen,” by New York composer Julia Wolfe, which calls for twelve flutes, from the high-pitched piccolo down to the hulking bass flute. On March 7, at National Sawdust, Jennifer Grim pre-records eleven of the flute parts and plays the twelfth part live, using that venue’s Meyer Sound spatial sound system to present a surround-sound version of the piece. Also on the program are works by Tania León, Alvin Singleton, David Sanford, and Allison Loggins-Hull.
Read more here.
The New York Times: 5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now
In this program — of works by Tania León, Alvin Singleton, Julia Wolfe, David Sanford, Allison Loggins-Hull and Valerie Coleman — none of the music is on autopilot.
Singleton, born in 1940, is the oldest composer represented; his music should be heard in concert halls more frequently. Jennifer Grim’s take on “Argoru III,” for solo flute, digs in to his melodic gifts, as well as his feel for textural variation within five concise minutes. Similarly wide-ranging is León’s “Alma” — the lyrical opening of which follows a winding, entertaining path toward the bumptious rhythmic fillips of its central section. And in Coleman’s “Wish Sonatine,” a work inspired by a Fred D’Aguiar poem about the Middle Passage, the composer navigates between episodes of horror and moments of communal purpose with narrative drive.
The New York Times
‘Through Broken Time’
Jennifer Grim, flute; Michael Sheppard, piano (New Focus)
In this program — of works by Tania León, Alvin Singleton, Julia Wolfe, David Sanford, Allison Loggins-Hull and Valerie Coleman — none of the music is on autopilot.
Singleton, born in 1940, is the oldest composer represented; his music should be heard in concert halls more frequently. Jennifer Grim’s take on “Argoru III,” for solo flute, digs in to his melodic gifts, as well as his feel for textural variation within five concise minutes. Similarly wide-ranging is León’s “Alma” — the lyrical opening of which follows a winding, entertaining path toward the bumptious rhythmic fillips of its central section. And in Coleman’s “Wish Sonatine,” a work inspired by a Fred D’Aguiar poem about the Middle Passage, the composer navigates between episodes of horror and moments of communal purpose with narrative drive.
Read more here.
Gramophone: Video of the Day: Video of the Day: Flautist Jennifer Grim plays Julia Wolfe's Oxygen
Oxygen for 12 flutes, multitracked and performed by Jennifer Grim
Flautist Jennifer Grim's latest album Through Broken Time was born out of a desire to raise the voices of underrepresented composers through her time working on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of the National Flute Association. Each work on the album holds special significance to Jennifer and today's Video of the Day brings an essence of urban modernism, marking the importance of New York in Jennifer's development as an artist.
Oxygen by Julia Wolfe was originally commissioned by the US's National Flute Association as a flute ensemble piece. For the album, Jennifer recorded each of the piece's twelve parts across piccolo, flute, alto and bass flute. Recording over 3 hours of music to cover and layer all the parts, the piece proved to be a mammoth undertaking.
Gramophone
By Hattie Butterworth
Oxygen for 12 flutes, multitracked and performed by Jennifer Grim
Flautist Jennifer Grim's latest album Through Broken Time was born out of a desire to raise the voices of underrepresented composers through her time working on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of the National Flute Association. Each work on the album holds special significance to Jennifer and today's Video of the Day brings an essence of urban modernism, marking the importance of New York in Jennifer's development as an artist.
Oxygen by Julia Wolfe was originally commissioned by the US's National Flute Association as a flute ensemble piece. For the album, Jennifer recorded each of the piece's twelve parts across piccolo, flute, alto and bass flute. Recording over 3 hours of music to cover and layer all the parts, the piece proved to be a mammoth undertaking.
Read more here.