Back to Life (Fred Frith album)

Back to Life is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. It comprises five classical chamber music pieces composed by Frith between 1993 and 2005, and was performed between 1998 and 2007 by Belgian pianist Daan Vandewalle, United States percussionist William Winant, and the Callithumpian Consort ensemble of the New England Conservatory of Music, conducted by Stephen Drury. The album was released on Tzadik Records' Composer Series in 2008.

Back to Life
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 2008 (2008-01)
RecordedJune 1998, May 2006, September 2007
GenreChamber music
Length64:10
LabelTzadik (US)
ProducerFred Frith
Fred Frith chronology
The Sugar Factory
(2007)
Back to Life
(2008)
The Art of Memory II
(2008)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]

Frith does not perform on this album.

Compositions

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Five of Fred Frith's works are featured on this album:[2]

  • "Seven Circles" for piano (1995)
  • "Save As" for cello and percussion (2005)
  • "Bridge is Bridge" (from "Shortened Suite") for trumpet, oboe, cello and marimba (1996)
  • "Back to Life" for trumpet, oboe, cello and marimba (1997)
  • "Elegy for Elias" for piano, violin and marimba (1993)

Track listing

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All titles composed by Fred Frith.

  1. "Seven Circles" – 2:59
  2. "Save As" – 16:10
    • Performed by Joan Jeanrenaud and William Winant on 29 May 2006 at Guerrilla HiFi in Oakland, California
  3. "Seven Circles 2" – 5:08
    • Performed by Daan Vandewalle on 13 June 1998 at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent, in Ghent, Belgium
  4. "Bridge is Bridge" – 7:16
    • Performed by Stephen Drury and the Callithumpian Consort on 20 September 2007 in the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall
  5. "Seven Circles 3" – 1:37
    • Performed by Daan Vandewalle on 13 June 1998 at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent, in Ghent, Belgium
  6. "Seven Circles 4" – 3:45
    • Performed by Daan Vandewalle on 13 June 1998 at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent, in Ghent, Belgium
  7. "Back to Life" – 8:57
    • Performed by Stephen Drury and the Callithumpian Consort on 20 September 2007 in the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall
  8. "Seven Circles 5" – 1:34
    • Performed by Daan Vandewalle on 13 June 1998 at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent, in Ghent, Belgium
  9. "Seven Circles 6" – 4:40
    • Performed by Daan Vandewalle on 13 June 1998 at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent, in Ghent, Belgium
  10. "Elegy for Elias" – 9:26
    • Performed by William Winant, Stephen Drury and Gabriela Dîaz on 20 September 2007 in the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall
  11. "Seven Circles 7" – 2:38
    • Performed by Daan Vandewalle on 13 June 1998 at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Gent, in Ghent, Belgium

Personnel

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Callithumpian Consort ensemble

Soloists

  • Daan Vandewalle – piano
  • William Winant – marimba, vibraphone, woodblocks, tamtam, tuned gong, large metal plate, toms, bass drum, beans, ping-pong balls, hammer and nails, metal can, etc.

Production

References

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  1. ^ Lewis, Uncle Dave. Back to Life at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  2. ^ Frith, Fred. "Fred Frith compositions". Fred Frith homepage. Archived from the original on 15 January 2008. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
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