Beta Collide

Psst...

Label: Innova Country: USA

"Beta Collide, directed by Grammy Award-winning flutist Molly Barth (formerly of eighth blackbird) and trumpeter Brian McWhorter (formerly of Meridian Arts Ensemble), has just released its debut album Psst...Psst! with stellar pianist/celestist David Riley, percussionist/sommelier Phillip Patti, and with contributions from THE Thom Yorke and Colin Greenwood of Radiohead. Together they make quirky European and American new music not only palatable but refreshing.

The record features absurdly virtuosic music by Ligeti and Erickson, a long-awaited recording of Silvestrov, lovely soundscapes by Kyr and Vitiello, a Rzewski trifecta, and even a song called Nude just in case you weren't already stimulated.

Beta Collide is new to the universe, not just Oregon. Beta Collide was formed in the Large Hadron Collider, a fertile space for new musical particles to emerge."-Innova

"The selections ... show an independent irreverence toward the orthodoxies of the new music recital. A lot of the music is just plain fun. Three whimsical works by Rzewski are essentially the same piece heard in different guises, his Mollitude(written for Barth in 2006), Nanosonata No. 7 for piano, and Nanosonata No. 7 + Mollitude, where the two are simultaneously played, to delightful effect. Mysteries of the Macabre is an absurd mélange of spoken word and disjunct instrumental fragments that manages to make sense as a satisfying musical whole. Erickson's Kryl requires jaw-dropping virtuosity from the solo trumpet, as well as split-second alternations of playing with outrageous extended vocal techniques. Other pieces are simply lovely. Silvestrov's Trio for flute, trumpet, and celesta has an effervescent otherworldliness far more animated than the serene mysticism usually associated with his work. Kyr's Memories of an Echo has a transparently simple premise; the sound of the flute predominates at the beginning, with the flügelhorn heard from an extreme distance, and over the course of the piece they gradually exchange positions, and the effect is magical. Each of these players is exceptionally virtuosic, negotiating the demanding scores with apparent effortlessness.Innova's sound is clean and open, with excellent presence. Beta Collide is an ensemble that fans of new music should watch out for."-Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

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