Robert Paterson – The Book of Goddesses

Robert Paterson
MAYA | Clockwise | American Modern Ensemble

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About the Album

Robert Paterson is the winner of the Composer of The Year Award from the Classical Recording Foundation for his new album The Book of Goddesses. This album contains three new works, all featuring harp. The Book of Goddesses (the title work) for flute, harp and percussion is in nine movements and performed by MAYA. Freya's Tears for violin and harp is performed by Clockwise and Embracing the Wind for flute, viola and harp is performed by the American Modern Ensemble.

The inspiration for The Book of Goddesses, and the source of the title, is the beautiful, lavishly illustrated book of the same name by Kris Waldherr, a Brooklyn based author, illustrator, designer and cellist. Waldherr s book contains descriptions and images of hundreds of female deities from around the world, some featured more prominently than others. The second work, Freya's Tears, is the sister piece for The Book of Goddesses, and is also inspired by goddesses. All three works are beautifully performed by MAYA, Clockwise and the American Modern Ensemble.

Of special note is the beautifully designed packaging which is covered in gold foil and bound like a hardcover book. The booklet contains many of the images and descriptions from the Waldherr's book. This CD makes a perfect gift, whether during the holidays, as a wedding gift or simply for relaxation.

About Robert Paterson

Cited by the press as “one of the major contenders in American music” and writing “exuberant and rhythmically vital music marked by energy and a wonderful sense of color, the music of Robert Paterson continues to be in demand by audiences and musicians alike. Paterson’s music has been played by numerous ensembles, including the Louisville Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, New York New Music Ensemble, Da Capo Chamber Players, California EAR Unit, Ensemble Aleph, Quintet of the Americas, MAYA, Great Noise Ensemble, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Aureole, New York Harp Trio, Magnum Chorum and at the June in Buffalo festival. Recent performances include Wind Quintet by the Philharmonia Quintet (Cracow), and The Essence of Gravity and Eternal Reflections, both commissioned for the San Francisco-based Volti choir.

Paterson is the Music Alive composer-in-residence with the Vermont Youth Orchestra Association, sponsored by Meet The Composer and the League of American Orchestras. This residency will culminate in two major commissions: a work for choir and orchestra for the Vermont Youth Orchestra conducted by Ronald Braunstein, and a new work for the Vermont Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jaime Laredo. Other commissions include two new choral works for conductor Nicol Matt and the Chamber Choir of Europe. His awards include the Louisville Orchestra Composition Competition, Brian Israel Prize, two ASCAP Young Composer Awards and grants from Meet The Composer, the American Music Center, the American Composers Forum and ASCAP, as well as fellowships to Yaddo, The MacDowell Colony, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. His music is recorded on Centaur, Capstone and AMR.

Paterson received degrees from Cornell University (DMA), Indiana University (MM) and the Eastman School of Music (BM). He resides in New York City with his wife, Victoria, a violinist, and their son, Dylan. For more information visit robertpaterson.com.

About MAYA

MAYA, a trio formed in 2005, presents the unique combination of flute, harp and percussion, performing newly written music, music from different world cultures, and incorporating improvisations into its performances. The mission of MAYA is to perform, record, and commission music from a broad variety of composers with a special emphasis toward nurturing relationships with emerging composers as well as expanding its repertoire with music from a variety of cultures. MAYA’s performances reflect the artistic vision of its members who are creating a repertoire that mirrors their expanding ideals of beauty in an increasingly connected world. MAYA’s first CD, MAYA In The Spirit, was released in December 2007 on the Perspectives Recordings label. The trio’s second recording, on the Innova label, features music of Neil Rolnick, on his album The Economic Engine. The New York Times said: “The brightly spirited ‘Uptown Jump’ (2006), a study in rich, tactile textures and inventive variation, juxtaposes jazz moves with raga-like percussion patterns. MAYA, a trio of flute, harp and percussion, plays it with grace and energy.” MAYA began touring nationally in 2009. The group has been recipients of grants and awards from the Argosy Foundation, Jerome Foundation, American Composers Forum, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Foundation for Iberian Music, and the Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation. MAYA is a project of Perspectives Ensemble.

The term maya has deep roots and diverse meanings around the world. In Hindu philosphy maya is the divine power which has created the cosmos. In Buddhim, maya is the veil of illusion, the transitory appearance of the physical world, and a mtatphoric challenge for spirital aspirants. In the Americas, the Mayan people formed a highly developed culture whose singular achievements included monumental architecture, agriculture, astronomy, mathematics and a distinct calendrical system. Maya is a term found in the Upanishads, in Vedic and Sanskrit writings - a richly evocative imagine in cultures and literatures throughout the East. For more information visit mayatrio.com.

About Clockwise

Described as “masters of strings,” New York City based Clockwise was formed in 2006 by two leading South African born musicians, harpist Jacqueline Kerrod and violinist Marc Uys.

In only their second season, they embarked on an ambitious commissioning project which culminated in a June-August 2008 tour with nine world premieres spread across thirty performances in major and new venues throughout South Africa, amongst them the Baxter Concert Hall in Cape Town, the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and the Sudwala Caves (near Kruger National Park). They have had audiences “eating out of their hands” ever since.

In subsequent seasons, notable venues have included Trinity Wall Street and The Stone in New York City; San Francisco MoMA; and Unisa ZK Matthews Hall, South Africa.

In addition to their enthusiasm for participating in the creation of new music, Clockwise also performs a growing repertoire of music from Bach to Britten and Cage.

Clockwise is a sponsored projected of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Fractured Atlas will receive grants in behalf of Clockwise, provide oversight to ensure that grant funds are used in accordance with grant agreements, and provide reports as required by the grantor. For more information visit duoclockwise.com.

About American Modern Ensemble

Based in New York City, American Modern Ensemble was formed in 2005 and has quickly become a major force in the American new music scene. AME celebrates and showcases the widest possible repertoire written by American composers, especially chamber works written by living composers. Since its inception, AME has presented over twenty programs featuring performances of works by over eighty American composers, using a world-class ensemble that includes the finest instrumentalists and vocalists in North America. For more information visit americanmodernensemble.org.

About Kris Waldherr

Kris Waldherr is an author, illustrator, and designer whose art has been exhibited in the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Her many publications for children and adults include Doomed Queens, The Lover’s Path and The Book of Goddesses. The Book of Goddesses was a One Spirit/Book-of-the-Month Club’s Top Ten Most Popular Book. It inspired numerous products including The Goddess Tarot, which has over 200,000 copies in print. Doomed Queens was hailed by The New Yorker as “a concise, humorous, and keenly observed history of women and power… With all the inane princess stories out there, a collection that highlights the historical downside is a welcome corrective.” Her picture book retelling of the Persephone myth, Persephone and The Pomegranate, was praise by the New York Times Book Review in a full page review for its “quality of myth and magic.”

Waldherr’s illustrations have been published as greeting cards, book covers, and in magazines. Her art has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the United States and England. In recent years, she has expanded into the digital realm to design and produce iPhone applications and e-books. For more information about her publications, visit kriswaldherr.com.

Track Descriptions

1. The Book of Goddesses - I. Saraswati

2. The Book of Goddesses - II. Xi Wang Mu

3. The Book of Goddesses - III. Aphrodite

4. The Book of Goddesses - IV. Brigit

5. The Book of Goddesses - IX. The Muses

6. The Book of Goddesses - V. Estsanatlehi

7. The Book of Goddesses - VI. Xochiquetzal

8. The Book of Goddesses - VII. Oya

9. The Book of Goddesses - VIII. Yemayá

10. Embracing the Wind

11. Freya's Tears - I. Iris

12. Freya's Tears - II. Freya's Tears

13. Freya's Tears - III. Sekhmet

Total Time: 61:15

Press Quotes