Mixtape #124

Quest Ensemble conquered our ears with their mesmerising and cinematic sound, pushing the boundaries of contemporary classical music by blending in elements of jazz and trad using improvisational techniques. Made up of Filipe Sousa (piano), Tara Franks (cello) and Preetha Narayanan (violin), the three Guildhall School of Music graduates have been performing and composing together for over 10 years. Participating in a slew of projects, from music education to commissions for dance and the visual arts, Quest Ensemble have also released two magnificent albums, 2014’s Footfall and last year’s The Other Side. So we're thrilled to start March with a stunning mix of tracks picked by the band, opening a window onto their musical world.

  1. Portico Quartet – Window Seat 00:00 [Real World Records / Society of Sound Music]
  2. Steve Reich, Daniel Hope, Simos Papanas, Kammerorchester Basel – Duet [Deutsche Grammophon] 03:14
  3. Punch Brothers – Passepied (Debussy) [Nonesuch] 07:59
  4. David Lang, Hilary Hahn, Cory Smythe 11.27
  5. Chris Gall, Bernhard Schimplesberger – New Life [GLM Music] 14:17
  6. Firefly Burning – Pioneer [Firefly Burning Records] 17:18
  7. Chick Corea, Bobby McFerrin – Even For Me (Live) [GRP] 22.19
  8. Nik Bärtsch – Modul 4 25:26
  9. Fofoulah – Fighting Chance [Glitterbeat] 30.34
  10. Donnacha Dennehy, Nadia Sirota, Liam Byrne – Tessellatum – Part 1 [Bedroom Community] 32:20
  11. Fred Thomas – Fall, Leaves, Fall 35:01
  12. Tigran Hamasyan – Lilac [Nonesuch] 41.07
  13. Caroline Shaw – Limestone & Felt [Nonesuch / New Amsterdam Records] 45:10
  14. A Winged Victory fot the Sullen – Atomos VIII [Erased Tapes] 51:19
  15. Eric Whitacre, Eric Whitacre Singers – Sleep [Decca] 56:07
  16. Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou – Mother’s Love [Buda Musique] 61:36

Mixtape #96

We're thrilled to have composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Kaada curating this month's mixtape. He conquered our ears a long time ago with his numerous and diverse projects spanning a wide range of genres, from classical to avant-garde, to rock and electronic. Member of the band Cloroform, he also frequently collaborates with Mike Patton and composes film scores as well as producing his own solo works, the latest of which, just out last week, is the utterly sublime album Closing Statements. Here's a few words from Kaada to accompany his magnificent sonic selection from traditional and modern classical composers.

"This playlist represents the music that I have been listening to the last month, and tracks that I have drawn inspiration from as i am working on my current projects. These are all really great tracks, to my ears."

  1. Donnacha Dennehy: Nadia Sirota, Liam Byrne – Part 2 [Bedroom Community]
  2. Ben Lukas Boysen – You’ll Miss Us One Day [Ad Noiseam / Erased Tapes]
  3. Roomful of Teeth (Caroline Shaw) – Partita for 8 singers – Part 2 Sarabande [New Amsterdam Records]
  4. Lutosławski (Alexander Liebreich & Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra) – Musique funèbre à la mémoire de Béla Bartók: Prolog Prologue [Accentus Music]
  5. Owen Pallett – Lewis Takes Off His Shirt [Domino]
  6. John Tavener (The Choir Of The Temple Church) – The Lamb [Decca]
  7. Castiglioni (Teresia Bokor)- Salmo XIX [Chandos]
  8. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – An Intention [Western Vinyl]
  9. Osvaldo Golijov – Vision: Bautismo en la Cruz [Deutsche Grammophon]
  10. A Winged Victory For The Sullen – Requiem For The Static King Part One [Erased Tapes / Kranky]
  11. Richard Reed Parry – Duet For Heart And Breath [Deutsche Grammophon]
  12. Játékok (Gábor Csalog) – VIII: Flowers We Are – For Miyako (For Four Hands) [BMC]
  13. Arvo Pärt (Estonian National Symphony Orchestra) – Summa [Virgin]