Music for oboe, oboe d’amore and English horn with electronics, field recordings and fixed media by Canadian and American composers residing in the Pacific Northwest
Remote Together is a musical exploration of metamorphosis, taking the listener on a compelling, evolutionary journey, responsive to pandemic culture. Beautifully cathartic, explorative and timely, the album offers a wide variety of unexpected sonic appeal as the pieces thoughtfully integrate the oboe, oboe d’amore and English horn with field recordings. Featuring the music of Canadian and American composers residing in the Pacific Northwest, the album begins in familiar territory surrounding a lush, Baroque-inspired melody, and then travels through previously uncharted sound worlds in which Lee interacts with the unlikely but welcome partners of renaissance chant, falling rain, zither, and microtonal shift. As the co-creator of the final piece, Lee provides a gorgeous culminatory exploration of the lifecycle of the bombyx mori (domestic silk moth), showcasing the beauty and power of metamorphosis, and offering insight, perspective and possibility around the ways in which our human existence and work have changed during this time of seclusion. The majority of these pieces were specifically composed for her and each incorporates varying degrees of improvisation, making each performance unique.
Tracks:
1. Nocturne (2013) for solo oboe by Jordan Nobles
2. Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine (2017) for oboe and soundscape by Dana Reason
3. Alluvium (2017) for oboe d’amore and electronics by Taylor Brook
4. Red Eyes, Green Lion’s Teeth, Golden Heads (2017) for oboe d’amore and tape by Julian Snow
5. Chiasmus (2018) for English horn and synthesizer by Matt Carlson
6. Silkys (2020) for oboe and field recordings by Catherine Lee and Juniana Lanning
Catherine Lee – oboe, oboe d’amore, English horn, and field recordings
Matt Carlson – synthesizer on track 5
Juniana Lanning – sound manipulation on track 6
credits
released May 21, 2021
Credits:
Produced by Catherine Lee
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 recorded and engineered by Josh Powell at The Map Room, Portland, Oregon
Track 6 oboe and field recordings recorded by Catherine Lee at Tadpole Labs
Mixed by Josh Powell (1, 2), Taylor Brook (3), and Juniana Lanning (4, 5, 6)
Mastering by Josh Powell / The Map Room except (6) by Taylor Brook
Cover photomicrograph of shed silkworm exoskeleton by Catherine Lee
Graphic design and layout by Dylan Marcus McConnell / Tiny Little Hammers
Head shot by Rene Grossso
These almost heartbreakingly gentle felted piano compositions have the delicacy and loveliness of slow-falling snow. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 30, 2023