OUT MARCH 7

ROGER REYNOLDS / MATHIAS REUMERT GROUP: The Promises of Darkness

The Promises of Darkness 1975, for ensemble of 11 players [22:32]
1 Section 1 8:10 

2 Section 2 2:55 

3 Section 3 7:04 

4 Section 4 4:22 


5 Mistral 1985, for ensemble of 13 players 20:15 


6 Dionysus 1990, for ensemble of 8 players 15:55 


Positings 2013 
[23:14]
for flute/piccolo, horn, violin, cello, piano/percussion, and computer-processed sound
7 Posit 1 1:10
8 Response 1 2:17

9 Posit 2 1:11 

10 Response 3 1:52 

11 Posit 3 2:10 

12 Response 5 2:48
13 Posit 4 0:44 

14 Response 2 2:57

15 Posit 5 2:39

16 Response 4 5:25

Total playing time 82:03

The Promises of Darkness marks the next chapter in the visionary collaboration between Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Roger Reynolds and conductor/producer Mathias Reumert. Released by Ekkozone, this landmark album showcases world premiere recordings of four major works, tracing four decades of Reynolds’s trailblazing contributions to contemporary music.

The title work, The Promises of Darkness (1975), pays homage to Reynolds’s mentor Roberto Gerhardt. Scored for an ensemble of 11 players, this piece masterfully conjures vivid colors and an almost cinematic sense of dread, revealing Reynolds as a composer unafraid to probe the edges of musical and emotional experience.

From 1985 comes Mistral, for strings, brass, and amplified harpsichord. Although inspired by an encounter with the forceful Mediterranean wind, the piece is “neither illustrative nor programmatic,” according to the composer. Mistral has previously been released in a lo-fi live recording, but the highly refined score — with its crystalline articulate harpsichord — is finally brought to life in this new version, which Reynolds himself has hailed as “a triumph.”

A relentless exploration of the interplay between two harmonic strata, Dionysus (1990) involves “a blend of metaphor and pragmatics” and is captured in a breathtakingly precise performance, with expressive solos from flutist Hélène Navasse and trumpeter László Molnár.

Closing the album is the electroacoustic Positings (2013), where the Mathias Reumert Group is joined by computer musician and Reynolds collaborator Paul Hembree. Seamlessly blending live performance with electronic textures, Positings embodies Reynolds’s innovative spirit, pushing the boundaries of sound and structure.

This release follows the critically acclaimed Wind Concertos, the first in the Reynolds/Reumert series, which earned Album of the Year (The Five Best) from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation in 2024. With The Promises of Darkness, Ekkozone solidifies its reputation as a home for groundbreaking contemporary music, curated with Reumert’s exacting vision.

PERSONNEL
The Promises of Darkness
Hélène Navasse: flute. Natalie Harris: clarinet. Ignas Mažvila: bassoon. Ola Nilsson: horn. László Molnár: trumpet. Christian Larsen trombone. Mads Hebsgaard Andersen: percussion. Kristoffer Hyldig: piano. Katrine Grarup Elbo: violin. John Ehde: cello. Anders Bjerregaard: bass. Mathias Reumert: conductor

Mistral
Joke Wijma & Thorbjørn Gram: horns. Ales Klancar & Laszlo Molnar: trumpets. Anders Østergaard Frandsen: trombone. Andre Jensen: bass trombone. Jonas Olsson: harpsichord. Kana Sugimura & Katrine Grarup Elbo: violins. Pau Codina Masferrer & John Ehde: cellos. Karla Egebjærg Wulff & Thoralf Strandli Pedersen: contrabasses. Mathias Reumert: conductor

Dionysus
Hélène Navasse: flute. Natalie Harris & Elaine Ruby: clarinet (alternating). Ola Nilsson: horn. László Molnár: trumpet. Christian Larsen & Jakob Sandberg: bass trombone (alternating). Mads Hebsgaard Andersen: percussion. Kristoffer Hyldig: piano. Anders Bjerregaard: bass. Mathias Reumert: conductor

Positings
Hélène Navasse: flute. Ola Nilsson: horn. Kristoffer Hyldig: piano & percussion. Katrine Grarup Elbo: violin. John Ehde: cello. Mathias Reumert: conductor, triangles, computer triggering

Computer-processing by Paul Hembree, using the present recording as source material