psst... psst!

The selections ... show an independent irreverence toward the orthodoxies of the new music recital. A lot of the music is just plain fun. Three whimsical works by Rzewski are essentially the same piece heard in different guises, his Mollitude(written for Barth in 2006), Nanosonata No. 7 for piano, and Nanosonata No. 7 + Mollitude, where the two are simultaneously played, to delightful effect. Mysteries of the Macabre is an absurd mélange of spoken word and disjunct instrumental fragments that manages to make sense as a satisfying musical whole. Erickson's Kryl requires jaw-dropping virtuosity from the solo trumpet, as well as split-second alternations of playing with outrageous extended vocal techniques. Other pieces are simply lovely. Silvestrov's Trio for flute, trumpet, and celesta has an effervescent otherworldliness far more animated than the serene mysticism usually associated with his work. Kyr's Memories of an Echo has a transparently simple premise; the sound of the flute predominates at the beginning, with the flügelhorn heard from an extreme distance, and over the course of the piece they gradually exchange positions, and the effect is magical. Each of these players is exceptionally virtuosic, negotiating the demanding scores with apparent effortlessness. Innova's sound is clean and open, with excellent presence. Beta Collide is an ensemble that fans of new music should watch out for.

- Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

'Beta Collide’s arrangement of György Ligeti’s “Mysteries of the Macabre” ... combines vocalizations (Sprechstimme) and just plain old grunts with squeals from the trumpet. There are moments in which a single note on the piano glides seamlessly to a note from the trumpet and when a tone from the trumpet slides to a note that is spoken and sung. It is jarring at times, but also engaging. Two pieces by Frederic Rzewski, “Mollitude” and “Nanosonata No. 7,” have a sporadic mood with lots of stops and starts, intriguing slapping sounds from the flute, and melodramatic riffs on the piano. Stephen Vitiello’s “Waterline” has all sorts of blurry, fuzzy sounds as if the ensemble were playing underwater. A distortion of sound seems to give it a slightly psychedelic edge, as well. Vitello’s “Yellow” combines distorted sounds with burps and gurgles that evoke a nightmare on a water bed. Another really edgy piece is “Kryl” by Robert Erickson, which has a fascinating interplay between vocalizations and the trumpet. Sometimes the two border on teretts syndrome. Valentin Silvestrov’s “Trio” trumps the playfulness between the flute and trumpet with a myriad of music box-like overtones from the celesta. Robert Kyr’s “Memories of an Echo” has single tones that are held for a long time so that the flute and trumpet echo each other in a pleasing way.'

- James Bash, Oregon Music News

The title is a whisper, the music is a blast of fresh air … As the name suggests, the album is a high-energy affair, often with terse fragments of phrases and other sonic particles colliding in spare atmospheres. "Psst...psst!" comes from the opening track, a chamber arrangement of György Ligeti's "Mysteries of the Macabre" -- a giddily anarchic play of instrumental outbursts and spoken word. McWhorter is spectacular in Robert Erickson's similarly hair-raising "Kryl," an astonishing, virtuosic bit of rapid-fire counterpoint between trumpet notes and extreme vocalizations. Balancing the angular bits are Robert Kyr's ingenious "Memories of an Echo," evocative of the ancient Japanese court music tradition, gagaku; and dreamy washes of distorted sound in Stephen Vitiello's "Yellow." There's not a weak track on the disc … Smart, sharp and sometimes delightfully shocking, "Psst...psst!" is first-rate in every way.

- James McQuillen, The Oregonian