Emily Howard: Torus

Album review

Composer Emily Howard writes works that are informed and inspired by mathematical concepts. That may sound intimidating for general listeners, but this release landed on classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2023, and Howard's music is quite accessible. Her mathematical representations develop over the long term in these four works, three of which are more than 15 minutes long. Perhaps the most difficult one is the opening Antisphere, the definition of which itself may be challenging for many listeners, but consider the title work, referring to the torus, a donut shape. Howard's structure consists of densely woven strands surrounding a central void. That work is played by the veteran Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, which might be expected to execute it crisply, but the three BBC symphonic ensembles on the other three works, with three different conductors, do nearly as well. One can imagine various educational uses for this music and that these might help bring about the rapprochement between music and mathematics toward which Howard has striven in her own career. The main audience here may consist of avant-garde music fans, but Howard is clearly finding a wider audience.

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