Muhly: Throughline

Chronique

Performances and new compositions have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in various ways, but Nico Muhly's Throughline, composed for the San Francisco Symphony, is unique. The work originated in the depths of the pandemic in 2020 when no more than six players could be on stage at Davies Symphony Hall at one time, and none of them wind players. The latter had to perform remotely, and to these, Muhly adds other remote musicians and singers, all under the baton of conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The work is in 13 movements and features various prominent guest stars, including rock guitarist/classical composer Bryce Dessner and jazz vocalist Esperanza Spalding. Muhly writes that "it functions like a concerto grosso but with everybody shifting teams," and indeed, he creates an effectively kaleidoscopic texture with new elements constantly appearing within a larger frame and consistent set of elements. The work appears on recordings as a single, something the San Francisco Symphony has experimented with more than once, and this is all to the good in reaching a wider audience. Perhaps it will turn out to be ephemeral, but really it represents Muhly at his best, with an accessible musical language that is both rigorous and highly imaginative. This recording may come to be seen as an emblematic response to a strange and sad time, and it is aided by superb work from the Symphony's engineers, exquisitely capturing the weaving of sound sources. This release garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Classical Orchestral Performance.

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