When Dark Sounds Collide

Pathos Trio writes: When Dark Sounds Collide: New Music for Percussion and Piano" is a collaborative project between PATHOS TRIO, and composers ALYSSA WEINBERG, ALISON YUN-FEI JIANG, ALAN HANKERS, FINOLA MERIVALE, and EVAN CHAPMAN, dedicated to presenting newly commissioned works for two percussionists and piano in the form of this full length LP and accompanying music videos produced by Philadelphia based audio/film/videography company FOUR/TEN MEDIA. The commissions featured on this album seek to combine aesthetics of contemporary classical music with the ensemble's interests in dark, heavy, dense sounds drawn from other genres of music such as alternative rock, cathedral music, minimalist music, electronic synth-wave, and more. As a result, each work on this album creates raw, edgy, and powerful soundscapes that will engage audiences in both mainstream and classical/new music scenes. Each composer involved in this album also specifically explores various sound worlds through their own vernacular. Evan Chapman's fiction of light is a minimalist, electronic style rock trio; Alyssa Weinberg's Delirious Phenomena features heavily percussive prepared piano; Alison Jun-Fei Jiang's Prayer Variations is solemn and gloomy with church-like melodies; Finola Merivale's oblivious/oblivion charts a course from calm to frantic; and Alan Hankers' Distance Between Places is our heavy hitting finale to this album. These composers and their pieces exemplify the kind of music making that has energized us to commission and champion these new works. This album has been the product of over two years of collaboration, as we've worked hard to truly push the boundaries of new music in these commissions to deliver fresh, innovative sounds and concepts. We thank you for supporting this music and hope you'll enjoy the journey of listening to each piece on this album!