Michael Stern & Kansas City Symphony – To Awaken The Sleeper (SACD hibrid)

Reference Recordings proudly presents a groundbreaking recording: the first commercial project featuring exclusively the music of Joel Thompson, bringing this rising composer together with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Michael Stern. Composer Joel Thompson’s career has skyrocketed since the 2015 premiere of his groundbreaking choral work “Seven Last Words Of the Unarmed.” Each of the seven movements sets to music the last words of an unarmed Black man before he was killed. The recording features some of today’s most prominent artists who are dedicated to the same critical themes: cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and the vocal ensemble Exigence of the Sphinx Organization, conducted by Eugene Rogers. “To Awaken The Sleeper” is powerful music of deep insight and uncompromising conviction, brought to life by the passion and artistry of highly gifted musicians.

Since 2015, Thompson has received numerous prestigious awards, been commissioned by America’s leading orchestras and ensembles, and assumed the position of first Composer in Residence at the Houston Grand Opera. Today, Thompson’s compositional voice is one of the most powerful and incisive in the country, focusing on the concerns and aspirations of the voiceless and historically marginalized. Founded in 1982, the Kansas City Symphony has experienced a similar rise since Michael Stern’s appointment as music director in 2005. Over the course of his remarkable 19-year tenure, Stern led the orchestra from a regional ensemble to one of the top 25 American orchestras, thereby enhancing its national and international reputation. Throughout his time at the helm of the orchestra, he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to new music, to American composers, and to works that address the pressing issues of our time.

To mark its 50th anniversary, Reference Recordings is now releasing “To Awaken The Sleeper: Works Of Joel Thompson” as a sonically impressive SACD. Reference Recordings boasts an extensive catalog featuring numerous American and international orchestras, ensembles, solo artists, and choirs that have been honored with multiple Grammy® awards and nominations. “Fresh!” is part of Reference Recordings’ mission to promote unique and outstanding artists and provide them with a strong platform. In recent years, Reference Recordings has been responsible for many award-winning CDs, Hybrid SACDs, and LPs in the genres of classical, jazz, blues, and world music. All releases are recorded with the conviction that the sound of a recording is just as important as the music itself.

MUSICIANS

Michael Stern: conductor
Kansas City Symphony
Exigence Vocal Ensemble, Dr. Eugene Rogers: director
Joyce Didonato: mezzo-soprano
Raymond Santos: clarinet
Yo-Yo Ma: cello

We recommend the use of „L’Art du Son” CD/DVD conditioner for even more sonic improvement.

Lista pieselor

Joel Thompson: “Seven Last Words Of The Unarmed”

1.    I. Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr., 68: “Officers, Why Do You Have Your Guns Out?”
2.    II. Tryvon Martin, 17: “What Are You Following Me For?”
3.    III. Amadou Diallo, 23: “Mom, I’m Going To College”
4.    IV. Michael Brown, Jr., 18: “I Don’t Have A Gun! Stop Shooting!”
5.    V. Oscar Grant, III, 22: “You Shot Me! You Shot Me.”
6.    VI. John Crawford, III, 22: “It’s Not Real.”
7.    VII. Eric Garner, 43: “I Can’t Breathe.”
8.    Joel Thompson: “To Awaken The Sleeper”
9.    Joel Thompson: “The Place We Leave”Looking At The Stars
10.    Joel Thompson: “Breathe/Burn: An Elegy”
11.    Joel Thompson: “The Caged Bird Sings For Freedom”