the ground beneath our feet The Knights & Eric Jacobsen

• Steve Reich (b. 1936)
• 1 Duet for Two Violins and Strings 06:03
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Concerto for Violin & Oboe in C Minor, BWV 1060R
• 2 I. Allegro 04:42
• 3 II. Adagio 04:31
• 4 III. Allegro 03:22
• Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Concerto in E-flat, “Dumbarton Oaks”
• 5 I. Tempo giusto 04:49
• 6 II. Allegretto 04:22
• 7 III. Con moto 06:05
• Colin Jacobsen (b. 1978) / Siamak Aghaei (b. 1974): Concerto for Santur, Violin & Orchestra
• 8 I. Prelude - Invocation of a Bakhshi 03:31
• 9 II. Part 1 - Twisting, the Vine is Strengthened 03:56
• 10 III. Part 2 - The Circle tends Inwards... 07:12
• 11 IV. Part 3 - And Outwards... 11:40
• The Knights
• 12 the ground beneath our feet 15:08
• Total Runtime 01:15:21

Info for the ground beneath our feet

Recorded live in concert at Dumbarton Oaks in DC, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Stravinsky’s chamber concerto at the Washington estate for which it was originally named, 'the ground beneath our feet' brings together radically divergent examples of the concerto grosso, by composers ranging from Bach and Haydn to those of the present day, by way of modern masters Stravinsky and Steve Reich. True to their collegial creed, The Knights’ own contribution to the form – the title track, …the ground beneath our feet, recorded here for the first time – is a genuine group composition, collaborative from inception to interpretation.

Also receiving its world premiere recording is the Concerto for Santur, Violin, and Orchestra, which represents the third collaboration between longtime friends and musical partners Colin Jacobsen and Siamak Aghaei, leading exponent of the Iranian santur, or hammered dulcimer. The Knights juxtapose these two original concerto grossi with four earlier examples of the form. Representing its apotheosis in the Baroque is the Concerto for Violin and Oboe by J.S. Bach, whose third Brandenburg Concerto provided the model for Stravinsky’s neoclassical masterpiece “Dumbarton Oaks.” Steve Reich’s Duet for Two Violins and Strings is dedicated to Yehudi Menuhin and “the ideals of international understanding which he practiced throughout his life.”

'The range and inventiveness of the Knights, the New York orchestra founded and led by the brothers Eric and Colin Jacobsen, is everywhere on display in this beguiling new release.' (SF Gate)

'Bach, Stravinsky, Reich and even a couple of the ensemble's own adventurous compositions commingle on this satisfying new release.' NPR

Christina Courtin, vocals
Siamak Aghaei, santur (Stravinsky Concerto)
Colin Jacobsen, violin (Stravinsky Concerto)
Johnny Gandelsman, violin (J.S. Bach Concerto BWV1060R)
Adam Hollander, oboe (J.S. Bach Concerto BWV1060R)
Ariana Kim, violin (Reich Duet)
Guillaume Pirard, violin (Reich Duet)

The Knights
are an orchestral collective, flexible in size and repertory, dedicated to transforming the concert experience. Engaging listeners and defying boundaries with programs that showcase the players’ roots in the classical tradition and passion for musical discovery, The Knights have, as the New Yorker observes, “become one of Brooklyn’s sterling cultural products...known far beyond the borough for their relaxed virtuosity and expansive repertory.”

The Knights’ 2014-15 season kicks off with a performance at Brooklyn’s Roulette, marking the first of a series of New York City residencies to be undertaken by the group over the next three seasons with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Other highlights include the Caramoor Fall Festival, where The Knights serve as curators and give three performances featuring saxophonist Joshua Redman and violinist Gil Shaham; the ensemble’s debut at Carnegie Hall in the New York premiere of the Steven Stucky/Jeremy Denk opera The Classical Style; a collaboration with The National’s Bryce Dessner, broadcast on WNYC’s New Sounds Live; and a residency at the University of Georgia. In the new year, The Knights tour the East Coast with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck before embarking on a European tour with soprano Dawn Upshaw, featuring performances in Salzburg, Baden-Baden, Darmstadt, and at Vienna’s legendary Musikverein.

Recent season highlights include The Knights’ debut at the Tanglewood and Ojai Music Festivals, and collaborations with Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Dawn Upshaw, Jeremy Denk, the Mark Morris Dance Group, the Joshua Redman Quartet, santur player Siamak Aghaei, and pipa virtuoso Wu Man, and the creation of the ensemble’s first original group composition. Recordings include the ground beneath our feet, a live album released in January 2015 on Warner Classics featuring Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks and original works by members of the ensemble, an all-Beethoven disk released in 2013 on Sony Classical (the orchestra's third project with the label), and 2012's "smartly programmed" (NPR) A Second of Silence on Ancalagon Records.

The Knights evolved from late-night chamber music reading parties with friends at the home of violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen. The Jacobsen brothers, who are also founding members of the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, serve as artistic directors of The Knights, with Eric Jacobsen as conductor. In December 2012, the Jacobsens were selected from among the nation’s top visual, performing, media, and literary artists to receive a prestigious United States Artists Fellowship.

The Knights’ roster boasts remarkably diverse talents, including composers, arrangers, singer-songwriters, and improvisers, who bring a range of cultural influences to the group, from jazz and klezmer to pop and indie rock music. The unique camaraderie within the group retains the intimacy and spontaneity of chamber music in performance.

Booklet for the ground beneath our feet