Razaz: The Strange Highway

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There’s an uncompromising beauty to these works by the Iranian-born American composer. The opening title work, for cello octet, is a wild, rhythmic ride, while the closing Metamorphosis of Narcissus... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2022, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 2nd Sep 2022
Catalogue No: BIS2634
Label: BIS
Length: 54 minutes

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Razaz: The Strange Highway (Live)

Work length10:13

$1.50

$2.30

All-American Cello Band

Razaz: Duo for Violin & Piano

Work length19:09

$3.55

$5.35

Francesca dePasquale, Scott Cuellar

I. Variation

Track length11:39

$2.05

$3.05

II. Scherzo

Track length7:30

$1.50

$2.30

Razaz: Legend of Sigh, Pt. 1

Work length6:59

$1.00

$1.50

Gity Razaz, Inbal Segev

Razaz: Legend of Sigh, Pt. 2

Work length8:17

$1.50

$2.30

Gity Razaz, Inbal Segev

Razaz: Spellbound

Work length5:34

$1.00

$1.50

Katharina Kang Litton

Razaz: Metamorphosis of Narcissus

Work length4:40

$1.00

$1.50

Gity Razaz
Metropolis Ensemble
Andrew Cyr

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"Gity Razaz was born in Tehran, where she spent her formative years before moving to the United States in 2002. Razaz’s identity as an immigrant is integral to her artistic work, in terms both of the subject matter that attracts her and the musical structures she employs. The relationship between the grounded and the ephemeral inhabits much of her music: her choice of titles reveals a poetic sensibility, but her music is never purely cerebral. Instead it is often anchored by the visceral, as with the punchy rhythms and earthy colours of The Strange Highway for cello octet. That piece, which has given name to the album, takes its inspiration from a poem by the Chilean author Roberto Bolaño. Two other works on the disc also have extra-musical roots: Legend of Sigh is a retelling in music of an Azerbaijani folktale while Metamorphosis of Narcissus was inspired by the famous painting by Salvador Dalí. In both these works Razaz embraces electro-acoustic techniques as a means of enhancing her palette. The five works on the disc were composed between 2007 and 2020, with the earliest piece being Duo for violin and piano. The latest work is Spellbound, a solo for viola inspired by the mournful sound quality of Persian instruments such as the ney and kamanche."

Reviews

December 2022

There’s an uncompromising beauty to these works by the Iranian-born American composer. The opening title work, for cello octet, is a wild, rhythmic ride, while the closing Metamorphosis of Narcissus offers some fantastic musical storytelling. Impressive.

November 2022

The music itself may not always live up to the evocative titles and the composer’s ambitious notes, but at the very least it is direct, honest, accessible and characterful.

Razaz: The Strange Highway

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