Songs of Ascension

Songs of Ascension is an album by Meredith Monk.[3] It was released on May 13, 2011, by ECM New Series. It was recorded at the BAM Harvey Theater, in New York, in 2009.[4]

Songs of Ascension
Studio album by Meredith Monk
Released	May 13, 2011
Recorded	November 2009 at Academy of Arts and Letters, New York.
Genre	Minimalism
Length	67:27
Label	ECM New Series[1]
Producer	Manfred Eicher
Meredith Monk chronology
Beginnings (2009) Songs of Ascension (2011) Piano Songs (2014)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]

It peaked at #8 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Albums chart.[5]

Critical reception

The Washington Post called the recording "radiant," writing that "although simple in its means, it is unusually rich, for Monk, in its timbres and textures."[6] The Independent wrote that "it's an innovative, provocative but enjoyable work, exploring the relations between voices and instruments ... Tremendous stuff."[7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Meredith Monk, except "Vow" co-written with Mieke van Hoek and "Clusters 3" co-written with Bohdan Hilash.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Clusters 1"	3:17
2.	"Strand (Gathering)"	1:55
3.	"Winter Variation"	1:51
4.	"Cloud Code"	3:31
5.	"Shift"	1:51
6.	"Mapping"	2:07
7.	"Summer Variation"	3:16
8.	"Vow"	3:12
9.	"Clusters 2"	2:27
10.	"Falling"	2:54
11.	"Burn"	4:16
12.	"Strand (Inner Psalm)"	3:12
13.	"Autumn Variation"	2:48
14.	"Ledge Dance"	1:50
15.	"Traces"	1:20
16.	"Respite"	5:56
17.	"Mapping Continued"	1:29
18.	"Clusters 3"	2:09
19.	"Spring Variation"	4:03
20.	"Fathom"	4:37
21.	"Ascent"	9:26

Personnel

Musicians

• Sasha Bogdanowitsch – vocals
• Heather J. Buchanan – conductor
• Sidney Chen – vocals
• Emily Eagen – vocals
• Ellen Fisher – shruti box, vocals
• Katie Geissinger – shruti box, vocals
• Ching Gonzalez – shruti box, vocals
• Bohdan Hilash – alto saxophone, bass clarinet, khene, shruti Box
• John Hollenbeck – percussion, shruti box, vocals
• Ha-Yang Kim – cello, vocals
• Meredith Monk – shruti box, vocals, mixing
• Holly Nadal – vocals
• Toby Newman – vocals
• Courtney Orlando – violin, vocals
• Bruce Rameker – shruti box, vocals
• Todd Reynolds – violin
• Peter Sciscioli – vocals
• Nadia Sirota – viola, vocals
• Allison Sniffin – shruti box, vocals

Production

• Manfred Eicher – production, mixing
• James A. Farber – engineering, mixing
• Marion Gray – photography
• Sascha Kleis – design
• Paul Zinman – engineering

References

1. "SONGS OF ASCENSION MEREDITH MONK". ECM Records. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
2. Eddins, Stephen. "Meredith Monk: Songs of Ascension". Allmusic. Archived from the original on Sep 23, 2013.
3. "Meredith Monk | Biography & History". AllMusic.
4. Kozinn, Allan (October 22, 2009). "Bending Melodies on the Way to an Otherworldly Quest" – via NYTimes.com.
5. "Meredith Monk". Billboard.
6. Midgette, Anne (May 27, 2011). "CD review: Meredith Monk, ascending" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
7. "Album: Meredith Monk, Songs of Ascension (ECM New Series)". The Independent. May 13, 2011.