Antique Violences. Music of John Mackey (MSU Wind Symphony)

Michigan State University and Blue Griffin proudly present the CD of music by John Mackey, featuring MSU Wind Symphony conducted by Kevin L. Sedatole. “Asphalt Cocktail” is a five-minute opener, designed to shout, from the opening measure, “We’re here.” With biting trombones, blaring trumpets, and percussion dominated by cross-rhythms and back beats, it aims to capture the grit and aggression associated with the time composer lived in New York. In contrast, the cycle “Songs from the End of the World” is inspired by a passage in the Odyssey in which Odysseus, shipwrecked and near death, washes up on the shore of an island belonging to the nymph Kalypso. This hauntingly beautiful cycle features soprano Lindsay Kesselman, for whom the cycle was written. Ms. Kesselman was hailed by Fanfare Magazine as “simply gorgeous…with a fully loaded palette of tone color,” and is quickly becoming known for her soulful singing, broad versatility, and her exemplary musicianship. And finally, the world-premiere recording of Mackey’s Trumpet Concerto “Antique Violences” features Justin Emerich, former member of San Francisco Symphony and Canadian Brass, and now professor of trumpet at Michigan State University

Asphalt Cocktail (2009)

Songs for the End of the World (2015)
i. A Long Time Along
ii. Raveling
iii. At Sea
Lindsay Kesselman, soprano

Antique Violences, Concerto for Trumpet (2017)
i. The blooded lines
ii. Secrets’ teeth
iii. Sorrow is a blade
iv. The curtain calls
Justin Emerich, trumpet