* NOMINEE CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SOLO ARTIST) | ALBUM CLASSIQUE DE L’ANNÉE (SOLO)
2022 JUNO AWARDS
Music for oboe, oboe d’amore, and English horn with electronics, field recordings, and fixed media by Canadian and American composers residing in the Pacific Northwest
https://redshiftmusicsociety.bandcamp.com/album/remote-together
Tracks:
1. Nocturne (2013) for solo oboe by Jordan Nobles
2. Chanson de Fleurs: Eleanor of Aquitaine (2017) for oboe and soundscape by Dana Reason
3. Alluvium (2017) for oboe d’amore and electronics by Taylor Brook
4. Red Eyes, Green Lion’s Teeth, Golden Heads (2017) for oboe d’amore and tape by Julian Snow
5. Chiasmus (2018) for English horn and synthesizer by Matt Carlson
6. Silkys (2020) for oboe and field recordings by Catherine Lee and Juniana Lanning
Catherine Lee – oboe, oboe d’amore, English horn, and field recordings
Matt Carlson – synthesizer on track 5
Juniana Lanning – sound manipulation on track 6
Remote Together is a beautifully cathartic, explorative and timely album that showcases oboist Catherine Lee’s “ravishing [performance, and] absolute control over her instrument.” (Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review) A follow-up to her highly acclaimed solo album, social sounds, “a CD as compelling as it is eminently listenable,” (The WholeNote) Remote Together offers a wide variety of unexpected sonic appeal, responsive to pandemic culture. Through works for the oboe, oboe d’amore and English horn thoughtfully integrated with field recordings, manipulated sounds and electronics, Lee takes the listener on a compelling, evolutionary journey. Featuring the music of Canadian and American composers residing in the Pacific Northwest, the album begins in familiar territory surrounding a lush, Baroque-inspired melody, and then travels through previously uncharted soundworlds in which Lee interacts with the unlikely but welcome partners of renaissance chant, falling rain, zither, and microtonal shift. As the co-creator of the final piece, Lee provides a gorgeous culminatory exploration of the lifecycle of the bombyx mori (domestic silk moth), showcasing the beauty and power of metamorphosis, and offering insight, perspective, and possibility around the ways in which our human existence and work has changed during this time of seclusion. With the majority of these pieces specifically composed for her and incorporating varying degrees of improvisation, Lee’s “deep understanding of the expressive possibilities of her instruments,” (New Music Buff), and flow of “fresh, unencumbered musical ideas” (The Double Reed) is on full display.
Reviews
On a “mission to lead her tribe of double reeds to a new vision appropriate to the new century. Brava! Long live Catherine’s Oboe.” – New Music Buff, 2021
“the inherent beauty of her instruments’ timbres are maximized by the musicality she brings to even the most experimental setting. Her instruments allow for such natural human expression they can’t help but engage no matter how abstract” – Textura, 2021
“Lee showcases her beautiful dark tone on all three instruments and her mastery of 20th-century techniques… a direct reflection of current society” – The Whole Note, 2021
“A body of work that’s often reflective and addresses the dynamics of transformation, there’s a very artistic presence that comes with a profound familiarity with her instrument, and the technical demeanor is nothing short of stunning.” – Take Effect, 2023
“force of impact and emotional resonance… the discordance and beauty throughout are a perfect reflection of finding flickers of peace and comfort amid the nonstop madness.” – Voice of Energy, 2021
“a beautiful sonic score… ever-evolving, emotionally touching … Catherine Lee‘s hovering, floating, and somewhat outerworldly oboe performance to create a piece that truly exceeds the dimensions of space and time. Highly recommended, this. – Nitestylez.de, 2021
“Lee’s pure, clear oboe… [offers] a compelling evolutionary journey of spacious deep beauty – explorative, moving and cathartic… tone, timbre and melodic inventions are impeccable in this graceful listening journey.” – SE Examiner, 2021
“meshes sounds that you might hear in a recital hall or a studio with sounds that might come from the forest or the riverside… an adventurous path” – NW Reverb, 2021
“beautiful phrasing, ability to project a long melodic line, and considerable skill… her virtuosity is apparent” – IAWM Journal, 2021
Credits:
Produced by Catherine Lee
Tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 recorded and engineered by Josh Powell at The Map Room, Portland, Oregon
Track 6 oboe and field recordings recorded by Catherine Lee at Tadpole Labs
Mixed by Josh Powell (1, 2), Taylor Brook (3), and Juniana Lanning (4, 5, 6)
Mastering by Josh Powell / The Map Room except (6) by Taylor Brook
Cover photomicrograph of shed silkworm exoskeleton by Catherine Lee
Graphic design and layout by Dylan Marcus McConnell / Tiny Little Hammers
Head shot by Rene Grossso
Websites:
Taylor Brook: www.taylorbrook.info
Dana Reason: www.danareason.com
Matt Carlson: https://goldenretriever.bandcamp.com
Julian Snow: https://juliansnow.bandcamp.com
Juniana Lanning: https://www.junianasounddesign.com
Jordan Nobles: www.jordannobles.com