Julius Eastman — a young, gay, and Black composer who confronted the prejudices of the classical music world as he swerved through academia, discos, Europe, Carnegie Hall, and the downtown experimental music scene — shines like a beacon to today’s musical creators. Any term used to characterize today’s musical landscape — ”genre-fluid,” or the like — was anticipated by Eastman decades before; yet he was punished for being ahead of his time, both in the treatment of his music and, tragically, his person — following his 1990 passing at age 49, it took some eight months for a newspaper, any newspaper, to run his obituary.
Throughout their multi-volume Eastman compendium released with New Amsterdam Records, Wild Up have sought to pay tribute with expansive interpretations of his idiosyncratic scores that tap into Eastman’s revolutionary spirit. 2021’s Julius Eastman Vol. 1: Femenine was hailed as “a masterpiece” (The New York Times); 2022’s Julius Eastman Vol. 2: Joy Boy was called “glorious” by NPR; and 2023’s Julius Eastman Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich? was called “a deliriously great tribute” (The Guardian). The latter two garnered GRAMMY nominations, for Best Orchestral Performance (for “Stay On It”) and Best Classical Compendium, respectively.
With the forthcoming Julius Eastman Vol. 4: The Holy Presence (June 21, 2024 / New Amsterdam Records), Wild Up digs ever deeper into Eastman’s oeuvre, performing lesser-known works that represent a mystically charged and spiritually reflective vein of his dynamic catalog.
Keyboardist richard valitutto is an expressive blur on the tumultuous “Piano 2,” while the acclaimed vocalist Davóne Tines lends an authoritative ominousness to the “Our Father” and the acapella “Prelude To The Holy Presence Of Joan d’Arc.”
Meanwhile, “The Holy Presence Of Joan d’Arc,” Eastman’s tribute to the medieval heroine who somewhat paradoxically has become both the personification of fiery religious conviction and a retrospective queer icon, finds Seth Parker Woods stacking ten multi-tracked cello parts with furious precision and tenacity.
As a whole, The Holy Presence serves not only as evidence of the immense individual talent that populates the ever-expanding tentacles of the Wild Up collective but as proof that the broader musical community has only just begun to scratch the surface of Julius Eastman’s endlessly rewarding, indelibly audacious body of work.
Credits
Davóne Tines
richard valitutto
Seth Parker Woods
Andrew McIntosh, viola
Mona Tian, viola
Linnea Powell, viola
Diana Wade, viola
Derek Stein, cello
Hillary Smith, cello
Christopher Ahn, cello
Niall Taro Ferguson, cello
Seth Parker Woods, cello
Stephen Pfeifer, bass
Marlon Martinez, bass
Davóne Tines, voice
richard valitutto, piano
Seth Parker Woods, cello
Christopher Rountree, conductor / artistic director
Produced, recorded, and mixed by Lewis Pesacov
with additional production by Christopher Rountree
Engineered by Lewis Pesacov and Clint Welander
Additional mixing on Prelude to the Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc by Clint Welander
Recorded at East West Studios, Infinitespin Studio, and Sunset Sound
Mixed at Ahata Sound
Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Album Designer: Andrea Hyde
Cover Photo: Christine Rusiniak
Session Photos: Glen Hahn and Sam Lee
Live Photo: Joe Sinnott
Liner Notes: Harmony Holiday
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Cline
Production Associate: Glenna Adkins