Vespers for Violin (2014)

Vespers for Violin (2014), for amplified violin and electronics, began as a reimagining of my recent composition Vespers for a New Dark Age. I sampled keyboards, vintage organs, voices and strings from that composition, drenched them in delay and distortion, and re-worked them into a piece that can be performed by a soloist.  The result is something completely separate from the original work, with only distant, nostalgic connections to the source material. Vespers for Violin was composed for Monica Germino and Frank van der Weij, and premiered at the Sounds of Music Festival in Groningen in October, 2014.  The work was later recorded by Olivia de Prato for her album Streya, and was nominated for a 2019 Grammy award in the category of Best Classical Composition. In 2019 director James Darrah created a music video for the work featuring dancer Sam Shapiro.

- Missy Mazzoli