This episode is assembled out of five eclectic components, emerging from existing forms and taking off to infinity.

1. Bill Carrothers & Vincent Courtois – Firebirds (2021)

🇺🇸 🇫🇷 Let’s start our episode with this album, fraught with improvisations and variations at the intersection of modern classical, chamber and jazz music. Perhaps firebirds are migratory ones? Watch their flock hovering in the cooling air in search of hearts to settle in and spend the winter. Surely one of these firebirds is yours, and they will enjoy spending time with you, enjoying the sound of cello, piano and Eric Seva’s baritone saxophone which complements the duet in the middle of the story.

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2. Bell Orchestre – As Seen Through Windows (2023)

🇨🇦 The Montreal sextet has prepared a monumental work for us. It’s full of surprises and subtle transitions from one structure to another, completely different from the previous ones. Searches in acoustic spaces continue in electronic matters and rush to the avant-garde free from any existing forms. Upon completion of the recording, the material for this release was honed and brought to perfection. So one long and self-developing story turned into a dozen interconnected chapters ready for your attention.

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3. Quatuor Bozzini – Ana Sokolović: Short Stories (2020)

🇷🇸 🇨🇦 🇩🇪 Once heard the first ghost (this is the name of the first composition), I could not remain indifferent. It heralds the beginning of the Commedia dell’arte, or comedy of masks, which will introduce us to the heroes one by one, focusing on their diversity and subtlety of nature. A composition by Ana Sokolovic, a Serbian composer living in Montreal, is performed by the Bozzini Quartet. In addition to the sisters Isabelle and Stephanie, who gave the project its name, it also includes violins Clemens Merkel and Alyssa Chung. Star cast and amazing music.

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4. Spektral Quartet – Anna Thorvaldsdottir: Enigma (2021)

🇮🇸 🇺🇸 The three-part work of the Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir plunges into an irresistible temptation. Look behind the veil of secrecy, break into the violent world of sound and let it pass through you. Don’t even try to realize what is happening. Within this journey, the listeners will be assisted by special techniques for the strings used by the renowned Spektral Quartet. This is a brilliant example of a collaboration between a composer and performers who complement each other’s abilities.

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5. JG Thirlwell & Mivos Quartet – Dystonia (2023)

🇺🇸 🇦🇺 Jim Thurlwell has been composing music for an extremely diverse range of bands and artists. Performed crystal clear by the Mivos quartet, this work of his plunges the listener into an intense race with his thoughts, feelings and neurophysiologic reactions. This happens from the very first note. The titles of the compositions derived from the Ancient Greek times, clearly allude to this. Hordes of goosebumps sweep over the strings to continue their journey across your skin. I doubt you’ll be able to dodge them.

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