Thomas Bartlett + Nico Muhly: Festina
Beyond the beauty and imagination of their solo work, Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman) and Nico Muhly have each built an almost unfathomable repertoire of music in collaboration with some of the best musicians, vocalists and bands recording and performing today. Now, they’ve united for a collaborative album themselves, Peter Pears: Balinese Ceremonial Music, out 18 May on Nonesuch Records. It includes nine original songs and three gamelan transcriptions. The latter works are by the ethnomusicologist Colin McPhee, who lived in Bali during the ’30s and they acted as inspiration for the original compositions. “Festina,” released today with an official music video, conveys the exquisite beauty one can expect from the entire work.
