DISCOGRAPHY
intonations
Derek Bermel / JACK Quartet / Wiek Hijmans / Christopher Otto on Naxos American
Intonations for String Quartet has been nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Classical Composition. Twice GRAMMY-nominated composer and performer Derek Bermel studied with Henri Dutilleux, Dutch avant-gardist Louis Andriessen, and ragtime revivalist William Bolcom. In his music, seemingly antithetical qualities – classical and vernacular, comic and serious – merge and transform each other unpredictably, their inspiration ranging from theatre (Ritornello), to gestalt psychology (Figure and Ground), to meditations on cosmology (A Short History of the Universe). Thracian Sketches explores and reimagines Bulgarian folk music, while the Violin Etudes distill Bermel’s intellectual creativity into its purest form.
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Migrations
Derek Bermel / Juilliard Jazz Orchestra & Albany Symphony on Naxos American
Nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award for Best Classical Composition, Migrations provides a generous view of Derek Bermels superb craftsmanship and eclectic style, in which classical forms, world music, jazz, blues and American folk music create a mix that reaches directly into the body and the heart. Commisioned by Wynton Marsalis, Migration Series has its roots in African American music, its impeccable counterpoint and biting rhythms expressed through orchestration that sounds like a city coming to life. Mar de Setembro was inspired by Luciana Souzas bell-toned voice and the intense feelings of Portuguese saudade, while A Shout, A Whisper, and A Trace honors Bartoks last years in New York, referring to the Concerto for Orchestra as well as to jazz and Balkan music.
“What a melting pot of musical styles! Bermel’s endless invention initially ruffles your feathers but leaves you breathless in the end. Captivating and colourful. ”
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CANZONAS AMERICANAS
Derek Bermel / Alarm Will Sound
“This superb new compilation by the New York ensemble Alarm Will Sound shows off the many sides of Bermel’s musical personality, from the quick-change artistry of the Latin-infused title work to the witty, restless modernism of “Natural Selection.”...Each of these pieces on its own is enough to thrill and enthrall a listener.”
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VOICES
Derek Bermel / Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Derek Bermel's CD of orchestral works: From the melodic roots of West Africa to the infectious grooves of Bulgarian folk music, the CD's four orchestral works meld Bermel's love for orchestral and jazz music with a myriad of unlikely global traditions and influences.
“Wonderful new music, all of it. Performances are tip-top, and the sound clear and immediate. One of the most refreshing discs in a while.”
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Soul Garden
Derek Bermel/Chamber Works on New World Records (CRI)
“‘Soul Garden’ is a superb album of consistently winning chamber works that demonstrate how a brilliant musical vagabond has made the sounds of the world his palette to create a singular artistic vision.”
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Bolcom - 12 New Etudes / Bermel - Turning
Christopher Taylor, Piano
Contains Derek Bermel's Turning
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Bits & Pieces
Sean Osborn, Clarinet
Contains Derek Bermel's Theme and Absurdities
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13 Ways of Looking at the Goldberg
Lara Downes, Piano
Contains Derek Bermel's Kontraphunktus
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The Chamber Music of John Musto: Music from Copland House
“The Sextet and Divertimento both place considerable emphasis on the clarinet, and Derek Bermel makes the many important clarinet passages sing, especially the klezmer-influenced sections.”
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