New Amsterdam Records have announced the release of Vespers For A New Dark Age, the new record from composer Missy Mazzoli, in collaboration with her ensemble Victoire, Glenn Kotche (of Wilco), synth producer Lorna Dune and virtuosic vocalists Mellissa Hughes, Martha Cluver and Virginia Warnken (of Roomful of Teeth). Vespers will see its release on March 3.
To preview the album, the ensemble has released a trailer that depicts a rehearsal taking place in Mazzoli’s Brooklyn apartment while she explains her inspirations for the album. The trailer is available to stream HERE.
The group’s eclectic instrumentation of strings, clarinet and synthesizers has been expanded to include a large pallet of electronic sounds and junk percussion, complemented by Kotche, whose massive drumset included three sets of crotales, glockenspiel, and a seemingly endless battery of cymbals. The vocalists often sing in quasi-baroque harmonies that glided over this landscape of percussion and synths, only to collapse into a haunting solo line.
Catch them live here:
2/5 – Missy Mazzoli Composer Portrait @ Miller Theatre – New York, NY
3/22 – Meredith Monk & Friends @ Carnegie Hall – New York, NY #
5/7 – Le Poisson Rouge (CD Release Party) – New York, NY %
5/9 – Walker Arts Center (Liquid Music Series) – Minneapolis, MN %
5/10 – Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center – Cincinnati, OH %
# – Missy Mazzoli & Victoire
% –  Missy Mazzoli & Victoire w/Glasser & Noveller