Reviews, mentions, and interviews
Photo courtesy of University of Oregon, Eugene 2023
Press
Fanfare Magazine
by: Colin Clarke
Album review: composition as explanation
November 2024
"A special word is due for the consistency and sensitivity of violinist Maiani da Silva’s contributions to the ninth movement (“The problem from this time”). Underpinned by slowly rotating winds and slowly arpeggiating piano, this is a true plateau of peace, delivered almost as if in a dream."
Read full review: Here
"His piece also requires excellence in performance, which it certainly receives from 8BB. Noted for its excellence, this ensemble has all the qualities to enable Lang’s piece to fly: ultra-focused rhythm, ferocious curiosity, and a real resonance with fresh contemporary repertoire."
Read full review: Here
GRAMMY AWARDS Nomination
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
(November 8, 2024)
BBC Music Magazine
Article Name:David Lang
Publication:BBC Music Magazine
Start Page:96
(Sept. 3, 2024)
Stereophile
Article Name:September 2024 Classical Record reviews
(Sept. 9, 2024)
Album review: composition as explanation
Five Stars *****
David Lang has created a freewheeling concert/lecture mashup based on a 1926 Gertrude Stein lecture and ushered into being by the imperious Eighth Blackbird
Read: Here
PICK: Any Gertrude Stein fans out there might likewise enjoy this pleasantly rambling musical setting by David Lang of her 1926 lecture "Composition as Explanation," splendidly performed by
, out today on
.
Read: Here
David Lang, Maiani da Silva, Matthew Duvall on CAE (part 2)
interview, Tues. July 23, 2024, 8-10pm
Read: Here
Contemporary Classics (WRUU): David Lang, Maiani da Silva, Matthew Duvall on Composition as Explanation
(July 16, 2024)
WRUU
David Lang, Maiani da Silva, Matthew Duvall on CAE (part 1)
interview, Tues. July 16, 2024, 8-10pm
Read: Here
Eighth Blackbird album release Composition as Explanation
(July 2024)
Cedille
Called “Super Chamber Music” by David Lang, this multidisciplinary work incorporates elements of chamber music, theater, and performance art; it has the groundbreaking ensemble not only performing the music, but also speaking and singing Stein’s text. For the performance, the 8BB players committed themselves to a rigorous education process, including lessons in acting, diction, and the art of theater.”
Read: Here
In a recent Musical America review of a live performance of the work, Hannah Edgar writes: “composition as explanation has legs — long ones. Lang’s setting is every bit as witty, circular, and self-referential as Stein’s own prose; it’s rare, not to mention utterly satisfying, to hear a work that so completely embodies its text. To invoke Stein, one suspects composition as explanation will be a work of our time for many times to come.”
Read: Here
Eighth Blackbird's Upcoming Release Pushes Boundaries
Cedille Records
This still-unofficial genre, which falls in the cracks between music and theater, has been a conundrum for marketing professionals for over two decades. Nonetheless, this playground between disciplines is an inevitable extension of Eighth Blackbird’s inner workings. It is both the guts and the bones of their artistry.
The album, recorded in September 2023, is scheduled for July 2024 release.
Read: Here
Leading Contemporary Classical Musicians To Perform In 2023 Unfiltered Music Festival At FOTOGRAFISKA NEW YORK
Published April 21, 2023
by A. A Cristi
The ensemble will share music by some of the most exciting voices in contemporary music including Viet Cuong, Valerie Coleman, Julius Eastman, and Andy Akiho.
Read: Here
Yale News: Office Hours with...Maiani da Silva
Published March 23, 2023
by Susan Gonzalez
Violinist Maiani da Silva describes the “artistic agency” she feels performing new music, and a new project that is addressing the climate crisis.
Read: Here
The Violin Channel
Published March 15, 2023
Blackbird Creative Lab Announces 2023 Cohort
Read: Here
The New Yorker
Notable Performances and Recordings 2020
Productions by the Los Angeles-based opera visionary Yuval Sharon have appeared on my end-of-year lists in five out of the past six years, and with good reason: no one in the field has been as consistently creative or daring. The first of two astounding Sharon projects in 2020 was “Sweet Land,” an outdoor opera that meditated on the plundering of Native American lands by colonizers. The score was a joint effort by the composers Du Yun and Raven Chacon
NPR: WXXI
Classical 91.5 WXXI-FM
Published January 26, 2023 at 12:23 PM EST
Eighth Blackbird join Kinds of Kings for the debut of a new work, SymphonyCast, Feb 17 @ 8pm
Eighth Blackbird; Kinds of Kings; Cincinnati Symphony; Louis Langree, conductor.
Read/Listen: HERE
UO WIND ENSEMBLE SHINES IN PERFORMANCE
Eugene Weekly
"It is rare indeed to be transported by music so glorious, so seemingly endless that your only wish is to capture the moment to avoid the inevitable ending of an enthralling experience." Read: HERE
Palestra webinar:
Livro: O Anel de Giges – uma fantasia ética , Palestrante: Eduardo Giannetti
Meu arranjo de Quando O Carnaval Chegar (Chico Buarque), mencionado durante a palestra de Eduardo Giannetti no Instituto de Engenharia. Agradeço ao Instituto por incluir o meu trabalho!
Leiam mais AQUI
"Through music and acting, 8BB explored the daring, whimsical, complicated, and cyclical facets of Lang's interpretation of Stein. Watching each member of 8BB balance the music and text while maintaining the spirit of intent behind their actions was nothing short of spellbinding." –Josh Bottoms
Review: Cincinnati Business Courier
"The musicians of Eighth Blackbird were mesmerizing to watch and utterly committed to the music. They played with exuberance – especially Duvall on drums. Langrée and the orchestra collaborated with buoyant, sensitive playing. One can hope that “Nine Mothers” will have many more performances. The audience approved with a standing ovation." –Janelle Gelfand
"These three pieces work wonderfully together to deliver a memorable and engaging album. The interplay between piano, cello and violin is wonderfully constructed and expertly executed." –Darren Rea
"Don’t know how long this video of @eighthblackbird playing the world premiere of “Nine Mothers” by
@kindsofkings with @LouisLangree and the @CincySymphony last night will be available to stream for free… jump on it now so you don’t regret missing it." –Steve Smith
Review: Ihr Opernratgeber
(Herausgeber: Sven Godenrath )
Souls in Transitions, Summa Trio (Navona Records)
"gefolgt von Streicherpassagen (...) die in ihrer dramatischer Intensität nur begeistern und einen mitreißen."
"The Summa Trio, another name new to me, catch the music’s energy and evocative qualities very nicely in naturally balanced sound. Recommended." – Guy Rickards
Interview: KUAF NPR
Maiani da Silva, Ashley Bathgate, Viet Cuong, and UArk'sChris Knighten
Eighth Blackbird (Maiani da Silva & Ashley Bathgate), Composer Viet Cuong Team with University of Arkansas Students.
LISTEN HERE
"Vollrath’s sure-handed scoring for violin, cello and piano creates effects almost orchestral in nature, ably performed by the Summa Trio, Los Angeles-based contemporary music specialists." -Michael Schulman
"If your New Year’s resolution involves stretching your ears to accommodate fresh sounds by innovative contemporary composers, both established and emerging, this invigorating double bill is just the ticket. The violin duo the Furies and the saxophone quartet ~Nois take on works by Eve Beglarian, Olga Neuwirth, Emma O’Halloran, Jennifer Walshe, Cassie Wieland, and others." –Steve Smith
"Their all-female composer program at Scholes transcended any notion of re-balancing the scales: a daring, cutting, and vulnerable performance probed deep questions about human nature, both directly and abstractly." –Aaron Wolff
Interviewing The Furies on P.M.S. (People Menstruate Show)
Meet The Furies ahead of their show at Art Share