Johnny Gandelsman - This Is America - An Anthology 2020-2021 (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Grammy-award winning violinist & producer Johnny Gandelsman releases his highly anticipated new solo album, featuring over 4 hours of new music. To say that 2020 was a difficult year for the United States would be an understatement. Covid 19 took the lives of 385,000 people. Racism and police brutality took the lives of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, igniting nationwide and eventually worldwide protests. In California, the 4.2 million acres burned in 2020 were the most in a single year since records were kept, and more than the previous three years combined. Vicious election cycle rhetoric was boiling over, and conversations dominating cable news focused on what this country was, is, or should be. Unemployment skyrocketed. People were isolated, sick, scared and exhausted. In thinking about ways one person could make a small difference, it occurred to me that in many ways amplifying voices of others, whether it's those of centuries past, or ones of today, is an essential part of being a Classical musician. I decided to commission new works for violin from American and US-based composers, asking each one to reflect in some way on the time we were all living through. Some, like Kinan Azmeh, Christina Courtin and Kojiro Umezaki have been dear friends for decades; others like Maya Miro Johnson, Ebun Oguntola and Anjna Swaminathan were new connections; all were musicians whose artistry I respect and admire. I feel incredibly lucky to have had the composers gently guide me into their process, easing my initial worries with encouragement and allowing me to find my own way to bring their works to life. I'm definitely not a singer, nor can I play the guitar, but I'm glad I had the chance to try. Over the course of the last 18 months I've come to think of this project as an anthology, a snapshot in time, documenting a tiny slice of the creative thought and output in this country today. I invite you to stop listening to pundits, extend your ears, open up your imagination, and trust the music to guide you into a challenging, complicated and thrilling sound world - This Is America.

TRACKLIST

1. Johnny Gandelsman - "O" for Violin & Voices
2. Johnny Gandelsman - "Sahra Be Wyckoff" for Violin
3. Johnny Gandelsman - "Sinekemān" for Violin
4. Johnny Gandelsman - "Stroon" for Violin
5. Johnny Gandelsman - "Steeped" for Violin: I. Impromptu
6. Johnny Gandelsman - "Steeped" for Violin: II. Moto Perpetuo
7. Johnny Gandelsman - "Steeped" for Violin: III. Cadenza
8. Johnny Gandelsman - "Tardigrades" for Violin
9. Johnny Gandelsman - "Dew, Time, Linger" for Violin
10. Johnny Gandelsman - "A City Upon a Hill?" for Violin & Electronics
11. Johnny Gandelsman - "New To The Session" for Violin
12. Johnny Gandelsman - "With Love From J" for Vocals & Tenor Guitar
13. Johnny Gandelsman - "Dance Suite" for Violin: I. Negating Gravity on a Molecular Level (Meditation)
14. Johnny Gandelsman - "Dance Suite" for Violin: II. The Virtue of Lightness
15. Johnny Gandelsman - "Dance Suite" for Violin: III. Surrender to Your Tiredness (Tragedy)
16. Johnny Gandelsman - "Dance Suite" for Violin: IV. Getting Rid of Our Skin
17. Johnny Gandelsman - "Dance Suite" for Violin: V. The Sense of Plenty of Time (Generosity)
18. Johnny Gandelsman - "Dolii" for Voice & Electric Tenor Guitar
19. Johnny Gandelsman - "A Current Took Her Away" for Violin
20. Johnny Gandelsman - "A Través Del Manto Luminoso" for Violin & Electronics
21. Johnny Gandelsman - "Reflections" for Violin
22. Johnny Gandelsman - "Rhapsody" for Violin
23. Johnny Gandelsman - "Barbary Coast 1955" for 5-String Violin
24. Johnny Gandelsman - "Stitched" for Violin
25. Johnny Gandelsman - "Withdraw" for Violin
26. Johnny Gandelsman - "For Courtney Bryan" for Violin
27. Johnny Gandelsman - "Surrender to the Adventure" for Musician & Tape: I. Blossom / American Dream
28. Johnny Gandelsman - "Surrender to the Adventure" for Musician & Tape: II. Fenestration / All Men Are Created Equal
29. Johnny Gandelsman - "Surrender to the Adventure" for Musician & Tape: III. Inflorescence / The Pursuit of Happiness
30. Johnny Gandelsman - "Surrender to the Adventure" for Musician & Tape: IV. Propagation / A More Perfect Union
31. Johnny Gandelsman - "Stones" for Violin
32. Johnny Gandelsman - "Pallavi - A Meditation on Care" for Violin
33. Johnny Gandelsman - "Breathe" for Violin & Electronics



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