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World Premiere Recording of Alvin Singleton's Ein Kleines Volkslied

Oct. 01, 2020

On November 6, New Focus Recordings will release Against Method, a recording which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the New York-based new music collective counter)induction. Included in this new release is the world premiere recording of Alvin Singleton's Ein Kleines Volkslied. The work was written for the Bang on a Can All-Stars in 1997 and is based on the Scottish folk song “Annie Laurie.” Singleton establishes fixed vocabularies of musical material for each of the instruments in this characteristically "downtown" lineup -- electric guitar, double bass, bass clarinet, piano, and vibraphone. The sparseness of the writing throughout much of the work gives way to density as he merges the disparate threads together into a brief closing climax. The work’s gesture towards populism is subverted by an injection of complexity and abstraction. The balance between populism and modernism notwithstanding, the playful pun on Mozart in the title sets the tone for this lightly bittersweet piece.

Last month, Alvin Singleton sat down with Hoc Tok for an illuminating interview about his recent works, compositional process, relationship with his publisher, Schott, as well as his hopes for orchestras of the future. Read the interview here. 

Listen to Alvin Singleton's Somehow We Can (1994):

(Somehow We Can/Alvin Singleton/Momenta Quartet)

Finally, tune in to the Bang on a Can Marathon on October 18 for a performance of Alvin Singleton's Argoru II by Seth Parker Woods. The work (as well as the entire "Argoru" series) is available for purchase from PSNY here.


(Argoru II/Alvin Singleton/Ronald Crutcher, cello)

To learn more about Alvin Singleton, visit: schott-music.com.

Alvin Singleton
Ein Kleines Volkslied (1998)
for chamber ensemble
bcl.egtr.pno.vc.db
10'

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