Reflections at Dusk

Reflections at Dusk

Description: 
Evening music
Composers: 
Jennifer Bellor
Performers: 
Ying Zhang
Andrew Smith
Emily Montoya Barnes
Luc Brust
Gabriela Ordonez Villalobos
Tim Jones
Geoff Neuman
Olga Shupyatskaya
Futaba Niekawa
Hannah Weaver
Kyle Peters
Shawna Pennock
Merrick Haji-Sheikh
Molly Redfield
Clark High School Symphonic Strings
Chuck Cushinery
Tara Ogden-Skouson
Eastman Saxophone Project
Chien-Kwan Lin
James Whiting
Catalog Number: 
#1 045
Genre: 
new classical
Collection: 
women
Meditative (neo New Age)
soundtrack
Location: 

Las Vegas, NV

Price: 
$15.00
Release Date: 
Nov 15, 2019
Liner Notes: 
View
1 CD
One Sheet: 

There is a zone of beauty between light and dark, where colors and transitions are at their most ephemeral. Nevada-based composer Jennifer Bellor reflects on some of those impressions as specifically inspired by the gorgeous sunsets in the Las Vegas area when overlooking the Whitney Mesa Trail. Far from the Strip and gazing at the expansive skies juxtaposed with the rocky terrain, Bellor meditates on the gently shifting lyricism where earth meets the sky. Well, usually gentle – the cover photo was taken during the July 2019, 7.1 magnitude earthquake when the tremors threw up a haze of colorful dust that suspended in the evening air.

This album of six chamber works emphasizes shining sonorities – think vibraphones, harp, and wind chimes. Words like cerulean, amethyst, and indigo infuse the works’ titles. And most of the pieces are performed by associates at UNLV where Bellor teaches composition and directs the Nextet new music series.

If you’re in the mood for something crepuscular, Reflections at Dusk will satisfy.

Born and raised in northern New York, Jennifer Bellor earned a PhD in music composition at Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music degree at Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music at Cornell University. Her primary composition teachers included David Liptak, Bob Morris, Andrew Waggoner, Sally Lamb-McCune, and Steven Stucky. She is on the music composition faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 

Reviews: 

JAZZ WEEKLY

"Six pieces by composer Jennifer Bellor are interpreted in variety of environs.  A collection of saxophones directed by Chien-Kwan Lin create a rich texture that hovers on “Skylark Lullaby” while dark shadows lurk with a pair of pianos by Olga Shupyatskaya and Futaba Niekawa teamed with percussionists Hannah Weaver and Kyle Peters on the noir “Amethyst.” Rich chimes form lovely impressions with bass and marimba on “Cerulean Twilight” while dramatic strings and harps create a soundtrack of a landscape for “High Resolution.” Evocative musical images." [FULL ARTICLE

TEXTURA

"As the album plays, an appreciation for Bellor's talents grows. Neither a serialist nor a minimalist, she's fashioned a personal style that's easy to embrace; she's also that rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication." [FULL ARTICLE