Michael Hersch: End Stages & Violin Concerto

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Michael Hersch releases a quick follow up to his haunting "Images from a Closed Ward" with a recording of his violin concerto, performed by the virtuoso Patricia Kopatchinskaja with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and his work "End Stages" in a performance by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. With both pieces, Hersch reinforces his reputation as a composer of gripping music, unafraid to tackle through the sound the most vulnerable and difficult corners of the human psyche. Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s versatility shows itself in her diverse repertoire, ranging from baroque and classical often played on gut strings, to new commissions and reinterpretations of modern masterworks. Called “America’s foremost new music group” by The New Yorker, The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is an artist collective that is transforming the way music is created and experienced. As performer, curator, and educator, ICE explores how new music intersects with communities across the world. Committed to innovation and artistic excellence, Orpheus is considered among the finest chamber ensembles in the world. Orpheus was founded in 1972 by a group of like-minded young musicians determined to combine the intimacy and warmth of a chamber ensemble with the richness of an orchestra.