Patterns (2019) – Chamber Works

Patterns (2019) is a multi-composer compilation of contemporary chamber music that highlights the richness, intricacy, and expressive potential of works written for small ensembles. Bringing together seven composers from different musical backgrounds, the album presents a broad spectrum of approaches to texture, structure, rhythm, and timbre within a contemporary classical framework.

The release features chamber works by James William Stamm, Georges Raillard, Santiago Kodela, Daniel Adams, David Arbury, Bunny Beck, and Jan Järvlepp. Each contribution offers a distinct interpretation of the genre, resulting in a collection that balances contrast with cohesion while exploring the evolving language of chamber music.

James William Stamm’s Asymmetry unfolds through lush, soaring harmonies and fluid melodic motion shaped by a swift tempo. Georges Raillard’s Disintegration, performed by guitarist David William Ross, begins with a clearly defined melodic idea that gradually fragments into dissonant textures. David Arbury’s Four Snares, performed by the McCormick Percussion Group, examines the often-overlooked timbral possibilities of the snare drum, while Daniel Adams’s Road Traversed and Reversed develops layered roll textures and thematic interplay between marimbas. Bunny Beck’s emotionally driven Suite for Sarro uses a string trio to explore grief and loss, and Jan Järvlepp’s Bassoon Quartet concludes the album with three movements ranging from adventurous to haunting to lively.

Santiago Kodela’s contribution, Two Lords, is a classical guitar quartet suite inspired by the music of Allan Holdsworth and Fredrik Thordendal. Structured in three movements (Of Textures, Of Colours, and Of Mechanics), the work moves from dark, rhythmically intricate writing through harmonically rich, colour-focused material, and concludes with an energetic exploration of isorhythms, polymeters, and designed rhythmic cells. The piece was composed as part of Kodela’s postgraduate research at Trinity College Dublin and reflects an inquiry into expanding the contemporary repertoire for the classical guitar quartet.

Released in 2019 by Navona Records, Patterns documents a moment of collective artistic exploration, illustrating the wide-ranging possibilities of contemporary chamber music through dialogue between composers, performers, and sound worlds.

Digital download of Santiago Kodela’s contribution, Two Lords (for classical guitar quartet), is available separately.