#davidsoldier

via youtube.com

Complete recording session of composer/conductor/violinist Mr.Hwang's acclaimed 2011 CD, "Symphony of Souls," produced by David Soldier for Mulatta Records. Spontaneous River, features Andrew Drury (drum set) and Ken Filiano (string bass) from his quartet EDGE, in an orchestra of 37 string improvisers.

On Saturday, April 14th, 8pm, Neues Kabarett will present Jason Kao Hwang's improvising string orchestra Spontaneous River performing his "Symphony of Souls" at the Brecht Forum, located at 451 West Street (that's the West Side Highway) between Bank & Bethune Streets. Telephone is (212) 242-4201. For more information: brechtforum.org/nk, jasonkaohwang.com, and mulatta.org/JasonKaoHwangPage.html

This video will be up for free for until the end of April.

Mr. Hwang's composition, Symphony of Souls is a spontaneous flow of notated passages and conducted improvisations. As Dr. Thomas Stanley writes in the liner notes, "The orchestra is then summoned to explore soul as both a nexus of dialog and as the motive force compelling action and interaction. "I felt in this one unified sound, I could hear the voice of each soul," Jason recalls, "The music was a whole tree, but you could hear each individual leaf in motion."

SPONTANEOUS RIVER for this video: Composer, Conductor, Violin: Jason Kao Hwang Drums: Andrew Drury Violin: Trina Basu, Sarah Bernstein, Charles Burnham, Julianne Carney, Mark Chung, Fung Chern Hwei, Rosi Hertlein, Gwen Laster, Marlene Rice, David Soldier, Curtis Stewart, Elektra Kurtis, Midori Yamamoto, Helen Yee Viola: Leanne Darling, Nicole Federici, Judith Insell, Eric Salazar, David Wallace Guitar: Cristian Amigo, Bradley Farberman, James Keepnews, Dom Minasi, David Ross, Tor Snyder, Hans Tammen Cello: Martha Colby, Loren Dempster, Daniel Levin, Tomas Ulrich, Shanda Wooley String Bass: Michael Bisio, Ken Filiano, Francois Grillot, Clifton Jackson, Tom Zlabinger, James Ilgenfritz

Symphony of Souls, named Top Ten CD of 2011 by Frances Davis, WPFW, and KDHX.

Conductor and ensemble work together effortlessly in this beautifully balanced and thrilling collaborative effort; it's unlike anything else in Hwang's recorded output. 
 --Ed Hazell, pointofdeparture.com

Music is written to speak to the soul - and this does. - Grady Harp, amazon.com