The Knights to Release Second Solo CD
‘A Second of Silence' features Schubert—and less!
The New York-based chamber orchestra the Knights will release a new album dedicated to Schubert and three masters of minimalism, featuring two Schubert symphonies paired with music by Erik Satie, Morton Feldman. and Philip Glass.
The CD will be released as an iTunes exclusive on February 28. An SACD/CD hybrid disc will follow on April 3, coinciding with the ensemble’s first US tour.
The Knights, under the direction of Eric Jacobsen, will embark on an eight-concert tour that will feature Copland’s Appalachian Spring together with music of Ives, Dvorak, Golijov, and Gaby Frank. The appearances take the ensemble to Troy, New York; Akron, Ohio; Granville, Ohio; Sewanee, Tennessee; Columbus, Georgia; Athens, Georgia; Amherst, Massachusetts; and Rockville Centre, New York.
The works featured on A Second of Silence all evoke in some measure the tranquil “hovering” described by composer Morton Feldman. According to a statement released by the Knights publicist, the works are not merely tranquil—quiet meditations are frequently interrupted by violent gesture—but dissolution into silence remains their ultimate object.
The Schubert tracks are: Gretchen am Spinnrade, Op. 2, D. 118 (arr. Ljova); Symphony No. 8 in B minor “Unfinished”, D. 759; and Des Baches Wiegenlied from Die Schöne Müllerin, Op. 25, D. 75 (arr. Colin Jacobsen).
The two Gymnopedies of Satie, in arrangements by Debussy, are perhaps the simplest examples of this sensation of drifting quiet, tending towards stillness though infinite in their potential for repetition.
Says violinist Colin Jacobsen, co-artistic director and concertmaster of the Knights: “The kind of shared longing that he has, this saturated, unending longing—this is how Morton Feldman described Samuel Beckett, who is one connecting thread on the latest album. But those words seem to describe all the music represented here, with a particular focus on Franz Schubert. Those words account for the way Satie, Glass, Feldman, and Schubert convey depth of feeling, contrast of light and dark, solitude and intimacy with the simplest of means.”
Adds his brother, the cellist Eric Jacobsen, co-artistic director and conductor of the Knights (and a member, with his brother, of the acclaimed string quartet Brooklyn Rider): “The Knights have been seeking a way to make a personal, intimate experience possible within the orchestral context, and this music spoke to us as part of that quest. We hope this music seeps under your skin, finds its way into your heart, and before you know it the rest of the world will evaporate.”
The Knights are a fellowship of adventurous musicians who creatively engage audiences in the shared joy of musical performance. The Knights have performed in a wide spectrum of concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Le Poisson Rouge, Celebrate Brooklyn, the Baryshnikov Arts Center, and Central Park as well as Caramoor, Ravinia, the Dresden Musikfestspiele, and Dublin’s National Gallery.
The orchestra’s extensive repertoire features traditional and contemporary music, and collaborations have included artists Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Gil Shaham, singer-songwriter (and Knights violinist) Christina Courtin, Iranian ney virtuoso Siamak Jahangiri, and composers Osvaldo Golijov and Lisa Bielawa.
The Knights have recorded three albums with Sony Classical, including Jan Vogler and the Knights, Experience Live from New York.
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