Anna Clyne: Abstractions

A Friendly Voice in Contemporary Music

For many, “contemporary music” carries a certain distance—as if it’s not easy to understand or approach.

But Anna Clyne’s music is a rare “friendly voice” in the contemporary field.

Clyne is a British-American composer; her music is tonal, colorful, and structurally clear—you don’t need to be a musicologist to feel its beauty.

Between Abstract and Concrete

This album, titled Abstractions, contains several of Clyne’s orchestral works.

Though the title is “abstract,” Clyne’s music is not at all the baffling kind. On the contrary, her music always carries concrete imagery or emotion—letting abstract musical forms carry perceivable beauty.

Alsop’s Leadership

Conducting this album is Marin Alsop—a pioneer for women in American conducting and the Baltimore Symphony’s first female music director.

Alsop has deep understanding of contemporary American music. Under her baton, the Baltimore Symphony renders Clyne’s colorful orchestration with both clarity and vitality.

Why Listen

This album is an ideal introduction to contemporary music.

If you’re daunted by “modern music,” Clyne’s music is a friendly starting point. It has the freshness of contemporary music while retaining the beauty and listenability of tradition.

This is an album you can relax and enjoy, yet still feel the depth and breadth of music.

Further Listening

If you enjoy this kind of listenable orchestral music, Rachmaninoff’s orchestral works and Liszt’s Via Crucis offer orchestral and piano landscapes from different eras.