David Lang’s The Day for solo cello and spoken voice is a string of brief human portraits plucked from the results of an internet search, each beginning with “I remember the day…” Impactful for their wit, poignancy, or simplicity, they’re beautifully intoned by Kate Valk and accompanied by a multi-layered cello line that grows ever more intense as the piece reaches its keys moments. The Day is remarkable, too, as the prequel to Lang’s World to Come, a meditation on the separation of body and spirit in response to the tragic events of 9/11. Cellist Maya Beiser is mesmerizing from start to finish.
- Bruce Brubaker
- Philip Glass & Ooppera Skaala
- Paul Barnes, Brooklyn Rider & Colin Jacobsen
- The Philip Glass Ensemble, Philip Glass, Michael Riesman & Robert Wilson
- Feico Deutekom
- Augustin Hadelich
- Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra & Tõnu Kaljuste