Albert's Window Eight Strings & a Whistle

• Martin Rokeach:
• 1 Going Up? 07:01
• Peter Jona Korn: Aloysia Serenade, Op. 19:
• 2 I. Allegro moderato ma con fuoco 06:33
• 3 II. Scherzo 03:12
• 4 III. Molto lento 05:59
• 5 IV. Allegro non troppo 05:38
• Edmund Cionek: Bad Robots:
• 6 I. Robot Is a Czech Word 04:50
• 7 II. Turing Test 03:42
• 8 III. Rage with the Machine 04:22
• Albert Roussel: Trio, Op. 40:
• 9 I. Allegro grazioso 04:42
• 10 II. Andante 06:07
• 11 III. Allegro non troppo 04:44
• Total Runtime 56:50

Info for Albert's Window

From Stravinsky-esque rhythms and impressionistic harmonies to Xerox® machine-inspired gestures, Eight Strings & a Whistle – comprised of flutist Suzanne Gilchrest, violist Ina Litera, and cellist Matthew Goeke – present a diverse selection of contemporary and 20th-century works that highlight the ensemble’s blend of technical prowess and emotive interpretation on their debut Ravello Records release ALBERT’S WINDOW.

Going Up? by Martin Rokeach and commissioned by Eight Strings & a Whistle, ensnares the listener in its elliptical orbit, as each theme gradually ascends to nebulous, whimsical resolutions. Aloysia Serenade, Op. 19 by Peter Jona Korn (1922-1998) was written for Boston Symphony Orchestra flautist Doriot Anthony Dwyer, the first woman to hold a principal chair in a major U.S. orchestra. The composition leaps from spirited, energetic peaks to brooding, contemplative valleys, traversing a vast amount of emotional and musical territory.

Written for and dedicated to Eight Strings & a Whistle, Bad Robots by composer Edmonds Cionek explores man’s relationship with technology, drawing inspiration from the sounds of a copy machine and its rhythms. The album closes with the lyrical Trio, Op. 40 by Albert Roussel (1869-1937), an example of what the composer called “music willed and realized for its own sake:” abstract, colored, cyclic, and unique.

In these works we hear an ensemble of knowledge, elegance, and depth performing music of equal caliber and inspiration – a combination as perfect, in its idiosyncratic and unique own way, as the eight strings and a whistle of Eight Strings & a Whistle.

Eight Strings & a Whistle

Eight Strings & a Whistle
Committed to expanding the repertoire for the unique combination of flute, viola and cello, Eight Strings & a Whistle has been captivating audiences throughout the Northeast since 1998. We collaborate regularly with composers from all over the US and have premiered over ten works. We also love to perform outreach programs, give workshops and talk about what we do as much as we love playing concerts!

The three of us met as members of the Galatea Ensemble, a conductor-less, democratically run, chamber orchestra based in New York. Our first concert as a trio was a performance at a New York City high school in Brooklyn, as part of Galatea’s Arts-in-Education Program. Since then we have gone on to win the Artists International Special Presentation Award, giving our critically acclaimed New York debut at Merkin Concert Hall in May, 2003. Our more recent appearances have included performances at the Tenri Cultural Institute in New York City, on the Stern Virtuoso Series at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, the Keeler Tavern Museum in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and the inaugural concert on the Chocolate Church Art Center’s Summer Concert Series in Bath, Maine. We can also be heard on TULPE, a recording of music by Sarah Davol and GRAMMY-nominated artist Dawn Avery, released on Okenti Records in January, 2008.

Booklet for Albert's Window