This recording documents two works written for the intrepid janus trio (Nuiko Wadden, harp; Amanda Baker, flute; Beth Meyers, viola). Paul Lansky’s large scale work Book of Memory and Jason Treuting’s Pluck, Bow, Blow both celebrate the modes of sound production of each instrument in the ensemble. Lansky is perhaps best known for being a pioneer in the field of electronic music, though In recent years he has turned his attention to writing acoustic music, and eschews alignment with aesthetic camps, or even eras for that matter, in favor of referencing centuries of tradition in fresh ways. Treuting, a long time member of the award winning So Percussion, contributes a clever triptych that extends the sonic pallette of the ensemble beyond their conventional roles. Brooklyn-based janus was formed in 2002 with the goal of presenting and creating new repertoire for the trio through commissioning projects and works-in-process collaborations. Named after Janus, the Roman god whose double-faced imaged peers into the past and future, the trio maintains the established tradition for the instrumentation while breaking new ground into unexplored sonic frontiers.
