Out now via New Focus Recordings!
Quaking Aspen
Quaking Aspen
|
ABOUT
Colombian American soprano Stephanie Lamprea releases her debut album, Quaking Aspen - a collection of new music for solo voice and voice plus electronics. This record sets poetry and sounds of the natural world to unaccompanied voice, with words written by female poets from the 19th through 21st centuries. Placing text at the forefront, each poem is first spoken, and then sung to mesmerizing and distinctive musical interpretations. The record begins with Jason Eckardt’s Populus tremuloides: "Quaking Aspen", a wordless vocal soundscape using an array of timbres and extended techniques to represent the living form and motion of the Catskill Mountains’ quaking aspen. Moving through music of Wang Lu, Kurt Rohde, James May, George Gianopoulos, and Hannah Selin, through the words of Lucy Corin, Hilda Doolittle (H.D.), Donna Masini, and Edith Wharton, the listener is met with vibrant and vulnerable interpretations of text, soaring vocalises, and mercurial acrobatics abound. PRESS
“Rarely does one hear a debut as artistically bold as this one. Stephanie Lamprea, a Colombian–American soprano, demonstrates her iconoclasm and fearless commitment to new sounds right out of the gate…It’s an impressive display of extended vocal techniques, in the honorable tradition of such forward-looking artists as Bethany Beardslee, Cathy Berberian and Joan La Barbara.” STEPHANIE LAMPREA: QUAKING ASPEN (Opera News, June 2022) "On her debut solo album Quaking Aspen, Colombian-American soprano Stephanie Lamprea makes a bold artistic statement that’s exciting and innovative." "...startlingly gifted soprano..." "Quaking Aspen is an unusual yet fascinating, deeply enjoyable work of art and can be compared to difficult-to-interpret postmodern tomes. Like the dense novels of William Gaddis or Thomas Pynchon, enjoyment of it requires a particular frame of mind, but once it clicks, Quaking Aspen is a magical, intense, and deeply satisfying journey." STEPHANIE LAMPREA FILTERS POETRY THROUGH BOLD VOCAL INTERPRETATION ON 'QUAKING ASPEN' (PopMatters.com, January 2022) |
“There was really wonderful layering between the synths and the overdubbed voices, and the voice that was reciting the poetry, the melody as it moved very sinuously through all sorts of keys and modes, really drew the ear in."
BBC SOUNDS: FREENESS - Imagist Visions
(BBC Radio 3, January 2022)
"Quaking Aspen showcases Colombian-American soprano Stephanie Lamprea’s incredible range. The new works on the album, which were composed for Lamprea and highlight poetry by female writers from the 19th through 21st centuries, feature everything from exquisite melodies to jagged-edged squeals to ominous hums. The focal point throughout is Lamprea’s vocals: She effortlessly switches tones and styles on every track, painting theatrical, detailed pictures that only need one thing to feel vivid—her voice."
JANUARY 2022 IN EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC
(The Road to Sound, February 2022)
"...fascinating, haunting vocal acrobatics, as guttural sounds are met with breathy moments of intrigue..."
"...stunning delivery of sublime and soaring dynamics from Lamprea’s powerful pipes..."
"...timeless beauty that resonates warmth and adventurousness..."
"An extremely unique affair that makes the most of Lamprea’s coloratura voice in both harsh and soothing ways, subtle electronics and Bond’s captivating performance makes for a highly experimental and unforgettable journey that you’ll want to take again."
STEPHANIE LAMPREA - QUAKING ASPEN
(Take Effect Reviews, April 2022)
BBC SOUNDS: FREENESS - Imagist Visions
(BBC Radio 3, January 2022)
"Quaking Aspen showcases Colombian-American soprano Stephanie Lamprea’s incredible range. The new works on the album, which were composed for Lamprea and highlight poetry by female writers from the 19th through 21st centuries, feature everything from exquisite melodies to jagged-edged squeals to ominous hums. The focal point throughout is Lamprea’s vocals: She effortlessly switches tones and styles on every track, painting theatrical, detailed pictures that only need one thing to feel vivid—her voice."
JANUARY 2022 IN EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC
(The Road to Sound, February 2022)
"...fascinating, haunting vocal acrobatics, as guttural sounds are met with breathy moments of intrigue..."
"...stunning delivery of sublime and soaring dynamics from Lamprea’s powerful pipes..."
"...timeless beauty that resonates warmth and adventurousness..."
"An extremely unique affair that makes the most of Lamprea’s coloratura voice in both harsh and soothing ways, subtle electronics and Bond’s captivating performance makes for a highly experimental and unforgettable journey that you’ll want to take again."
STEPHANIE LAMPREA - QUAKING ASPEN
(Take Effect Reviews, April 2022)