Boston is widely known for its vibrant classical music scene and rich cultural depth; there are so many historic organizations contributing to the musical fabric of the Boston area, you could practically trip on them on the way to the grocery store. With artistic excellence abound at nearly every turn, it can be hard to stand out and make your mark as a rising ensemble.
But Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, led by conductor Ben Perry, has set a new bar for musical innovation and choral performance practice with their debut album Composition Sped Up, an entirely improvised recording of a cappella choral music released in 2023.
Established in 2019 as the fledgling project of five music students at Boston Conservatory, Nightingale Vocal Ensemble has quickly become one of the most exciting choral organizations in the area - I should know, because I sing with them (though not on this particular project)! Among other things, Nightingale is devoted to commissioning new works, by composers both in-house and afar, as well as crafting and executing uniquely curated concert experiences in the concert hall and beyond. Collaborations with Boston’s Museum of Science, musical installations, a jointly-composed choral opera, immersive outdoor concerts and more are all par for the course with Nightingale, known more for what they’ll be doing differently next than for what they’ve done before.
The album’s title refers to the act of improvisation as composition, as defined by American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Wayne Shorter: “Composition is just improvisation slowed down, and improvisation is just composition sped up.” Local bass-baritone, composer, arranger, and Nightingale member Nathan Halbur spearheaded the project, which is typical of the ensemble’s member-led, project-guided structure.
Over the course of just six hours in November 2022, eight singers came together to record 18 distinct improvisations. All of this music was eventually whittled down to just ten tracks, making up an hour-long album. Halbur further illuminates the creative process of making the album:
Composition is just improvisation slowed down, and improvisation is just composition sped up.Wayne Shorter
"While laying the groundwork for this album, the idea arose to improvise based on existing prompt material. I reached out to a variety of artists (painters, illustrators, poets, rock balancers, and more) about the possibility of us drawing musical inspiration from their work. I felt slightly apprehensive about making this inquiry, but I'm very glad I did it, because the response was profusely positive. Beautiful pieces were shared with us, and new friends are now a part of our Nightingale artistic community.
…Following a series of rehearsals in which we established a rapport among our ensemble—we traveled to Big Nice Studio in Rhode Island, nestled among resplendent foliage beside the Blackstone River. We arranged ourselves in a semicircle under the studio’s 32-foot ceiling, and followed the same procedure for every recorded take.
First, we collectively negotiated which of the prompts we were in the mood to interpret. After agreeing on one, each singer summoned the appropriate image or poem on a personal device. We briefly discussed whether to impose a musical rule or restriction for the impending improvisation. Finally we stood in silence, absorbing the prompt and awaiting inspiration. Each time, music soon materialized."
The collective knowledge of contemporary performance practice and the zeal with which these singers infuse their craft are immediately palpable. Conjured as if by occult ritual, each of the ten tracks on the album, named in relation to their prompts, reveal sublime unchartered musical worlds. Take Night Air, for example:
The shortest track on the album by far at a mere 46 seconds long, Night Air nonetheless encompasses an effusive and expressive sound world. Inspired by Massachusetts-based artist Indë’s illustration of the same name and given the prompt only to start together, the ‘Gales waste no time in evoking blustery night air via whistles, hissing, and other vocalizations. Stalwart and pastoral harmonies emerge around soprano Angela Yam’s recitation of the text accompanying Indë’s illustration, “What if my superstitions weren’t extinguished by harsh white light. Overexposed. Bleached because magic is dirty.”
Rosé Wine offers a similarly textural rendering of its source material:
Inspired by a poster created by Swiss artist Jérôme Bizien, this track is a cornucopia of colorful vocalizations, including various “poppings of the cork” of the titular rosé, ghostly sliding harmonies, yelling, and laughing, and retains a bubbly, almost hocket-like texture throughout. Chords dissolve and rematerialize like quicksand, all while the unmistakable sounds of rosé fill the listener’s ears. Though perhaps less conventionally harmonious than Night Air, Rosé Wine still yields a colorful and unique sound world that would be challenging to recreate any other way.
Contrastingly, Notes on Danube is distinctly harmonious in a way you can’t quite put your finger on:
Using Ana Aha’s painting Notes on Danube as a jumping-off point, a folk-like duet serves to ground an otherwise nebulous wash of harmonic color. Chords collide and drift past one another like waves splashing against the shore, though never in a jarring or tonally distant manner. There is clearly a deep understanding from everyone in the ensemble of how they relate to one another, and they effortlessly thread a delicate balance of individuality amid the collective.
Composition Sped Up is adventurous, playful, and unlike anything that’s come before it, both from Nightingale and in the classical choral world at large - and I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Here's the first video in this album's YouTube playlist:
