Hilary Tann: And the Snow Did Lie Sirius Quartet

• Hilary Tann (b. 1947): And the Snow Did Lie:
• 1 And the Snow Did Lie: I. Ragged Earth - II. A Single Cloud Reddened - III. Lake and Sky Black with Birds 09:09
• 2 And the Snow Did Lie: IV. Wreathing Mists - V. Signs in the Sun - VI. The Weather Is White 09:24
• 3 And the Snow Did Lie: VII. Winter Gives Way - VIII. Overcast with Rain - IX. Floods of May - X. Into Darkness 05:52
• Total Runtime 24:25

Info for Hilary Tann: And the Snow Did Lie

New from Navona Records comes AND THE SNOW DID LIE, composed by Hilary Tann and performed by Sirius Quartet. Tann, a Welsh-born composer living in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains was inspired to write this commissioned work by a series of illustrations from the classic French-Canadian novel, Le Survenant. These images are included with the release of this digital single.

The music of AND THE SNOW DID LIE is broken into three movements, each depicting a season in the bleak northern landscape. Each of these is further broken into distinct sections. The first movement evokes the wasteland of late autumn with an murmuring drone pierced by the shrill voice of decay. The music develops to demonstrate both moments of startling intensity and deep tenderness. The second movement imagines the gentle snowfall of winter. Here, especially, the Sirius Quartet exhibits their sensitivity to the silences between the notes. Finally, the work concludes with a third movement that conjures up the floods of springtime with shivering tremolos, lyrical lines, and echoes of the previous textures.

AND THE SNOW DID LIE is a multimedia artwork to be appreciated by both the eyes and the ears. The powerful combination of Tann’s expressive lyricism paired with Bergeron’s master-lithography performed by the formidable skill and precision of the Sirius Quartet make this new digital single an event not to be missed.

Fung Chern Hwei, violin
Gregor Huebner, violin
Ron Lawrence, viola
Jeremy Harman, cello

Sirius Quartet
Internationally acclaimed veterans of contemporary music, Sirius Quartet creates unforgettable musical events that combine exhilarating repertoire with unequaled improvisational fire. The group’s forward-thinking, genre-defying approach with collaborations in post-rock, avant-jazz and electronic music makes labels like ‘New Music’ sound passé.

Born and bred in NYC’s downtown music scene, Sirius has performed at major venues around the globe. Having premiered works by the likes of Phil Kline, Uri Caine and Richard Einhorn, Sirius pushes beyond the conventional vocabulary of string instruments with bold, original works by its own members, incorporating improvisation, extended techniques and undeniable grooves. These conservatory-trained performer/composers shine with precision, soul and a raw energy rarely witnessed in concert.

The quartet has performed at many important US venues, including Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, LACMA, the Andy Warhol Museum (co-presented by Music on the Edge), Tribeca New Music, American Composers Alliance Music Festival, Chelsea Music Festival and The Kitchen. International appearances include the 2013 Stuttgart Jazz Fest, the 2013 Beijing Music Festival, Bern University of the Arts, the National Academy in Ochsenhausen, the 2012 Tianjin International Jazz Festival, the University of Music and Theater in Munich, the 2011 Taichung Jazz Festival, Köln’s Musik Triennale, and Musique Actuelle in Victoriaville, Canada.

Sirius Quartet has also shared studio and stage with the likes of Diane Reeves, Billy Martin (Medeski Martin and Wood), Jeremy Pelt, John Zorn, Uri Caine, John Escreet, Mike Block, Theo Bleckmann, John Patitucci, Ivo Perelman, Matthew Shipp, Nick Didkovsky, Mikael Karlsson, Elliot Sharp, Linda Oh and many others.

With their latest album Colors of the East, Sirius Quartet puts forward the explosive, genre-defying compositions of violinist Gregor Huebner on full display. The title track is a piece inspired by Huebner’s own Romani heritage, rife with Balkan melodies and odd-metered grooves galore. Colors of the East sees the quartet’s ranks bolstered by the addition of accordion virtuoso Peter Stan and upright powerhouse Pascal Niggenkemper. Rounding out the album is Huebner’s String Quintet, a labyrinthine trip through the dissonant sound worlds of the classical avant-garde and modern jazz, and his New York Suite for string quartet, a homage to the city that Huebner has called home for the last 20 years; each movement a sonic snapshot of a different NYC neighborhood or locale. These pieces feature Gregor’s brother Veit Huebner on bass, and Sirius alumnus Mike Block on cello, respectively.

This album contains no booklet.