Nico Muhly: Throughline

Commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony, Nico Muhly’s 19-minute “Throughline” dazzles throughout its 13 movements. Muhly composed the masterful work to comply with COVID-19 health restrictions—meaning that no more than six orchestral players could be on stage at once during recording, and breath-based instrument were recorded separately. The San Francisco Symphony, Esa-Pekka Salonen and eight collaborative partners—including Bryce Dessner on electric guitar and Esperanza Spalding …

Online Musical Time Capsule, 2020 Is A Song

Motivated by a feeling of numbness that was only remedied by music, interdisciplinary writer and editor Marisa Aveling created 2020 Is A Song—an online time capsule centered on “personal yet collective remembering.” A people-powered counterpoint to Spotify’s data-driven Wrapped, 2020 Is A Song calls for individuals all over the world to contribute a track that helped them through the year that was. An even sweeter …

Texas + Wu-Tang Clan: Hi

Wu-Tang Clan once again joins forces with iconic Scottish pop band Texas for “Hi,” a track that comes decades after their first collaboration—a remix of the 1997 mega-hit “Say What You Want” and an ensuing 1998 live performance featuring Method Man. RZA and Ghostface Killah appear alongside Texas vocalist Sharleen Spiteri on this enrapturing track—the first new music from both collaborators in three years. Fenn …