Music For Strings and Brass [Vinyl]

Sammy Weissberg - Music For Strings and Brass [Vinyl]

Brooklyn composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist Sammy Weissberg's catalog of contemporary classical pieces is based around lovingly arced melodies, striking chord progressions, and an overall boundless musical imagination. Music for Strings and Brass, his newest release (and his debut for Dear Life Records), features two works that redefine the scope of his artistry, incorporating techniques he has honed while arranging for songwriters (The Lemon Twins, Allegra Krieger, June McDoom, Frances Chang, and many more).

The album features his commanding, impressionistic String Quartet No. 2 and a Brass Quintet that explores the poignant, voice-like expressivity of each of it's instruments. Taking inspiration from modernist composers, Weissberg speaks in a musical language that sometimes sounds beamed in from another era. At different points, his work channels the catchy instrumental themes of Antonín Dvořák and Sergei Prokofiev, the atomic rhythmic interplay of Igor Stravinsky, and the luxurious harmonic worlds of Claude Debussy and Nino Rota.

Unfailingly, though, he channels these nostalgic points of reference into contemporary-sounding, acutely personal chamber works that feel impossible to misunderstand — elaborate and unpretentious, exceptional and timeless. Music for Strings and Brass is the perfect introduction to the way that Weissberg processes life in sound, and should rank among the most warm-spirited and single-minded instrumental releases of the year.