CHRIS NEWMAN : Ghosts

'“Symphony” (1981). “Cologne” (1986-87). “Ghosts” (1984). “Ghost Symphony” (1998). Ensemble KNM conducted by Steffen Tast. This CD collects four chamber works in Newman’s idiosyncratic, quirky style, performed by one of Berlin’s leading new music ensembles. Newman appears a vocal soloist in the work Cologne. The texts are derived from a travel brochure about the city of Cologne which was filled with translation mistakes to a hilarious extent. For Ghost Symphony, Newman writes: “the majority of the piece consists of my own five chords to which I applied the rhythmic values of the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, with the notable exceptions of the interpolations of Beethoven’s most structurally important chords which shine through.”
All first recordings. Liner notes by the composer. The cover pictures one of Newman’s art installations.'



Tracklist
1. Symphony (1981) 12:00
2. Cologne (1986-87) 10:28
Chris Newman, voice
3. Ghosts (1984) 19:51
4. Ghost Symphony (1998) 20:27
Ensemble KNM conducted by Steffen Tast