Michael Malis - From Darkness We Awaken
MNM022
From Darkness We Awaken
composed by Michael Malis
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commissioned by Virago
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Performed by Michael Malis and Virago.
For violin, cello, alto saxophone, prepared piano, vibraphone, and percussion
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Performed by:
Violin: Meg Rohrer
Cello: Wesley Hornpetrie
Alto Saxophone: BethAnne Kunert
Prepared Piano: Michael Malis
Vibraphone and Percussion: Sofia Carbonara
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Producer: Ben Willis
Recorded at Tempermill Studio June 6-7 2021
Recording Engineer: Erik Maluchnik
Mixed and Mastered at Big Sky Recording Studio June-September 2021
Mix and Mastering Engineer: Josef Deas
Design by Brodie McAllister
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I composed From Darkness We Awaken in the midst of what was the most chaotic period of time I’ve ever lived through. 2020 was a challenging year for everyone in the world, but against the backdrop of the intersecting crises of that time, a personal paradigm shift occurred for me: in March 2020, my wife and I found out we were expecting our first child.
Of course, we were incredibly excited. But as anyone who had a “pandemic baby” can attest to, that excitement came with a large dose of anxiety. We threw our pent up energy into preparing our home, our hearts, and our lives for the arrival of a new human. It was a strange juxtaposition, to be simultaneously balancing so much joy with so much fear.
The one thing that kept me relatively grounded in that unique moment was writing this piece. I started to notice myself using this piece as a forum for processing these transformative changes that were upon me. From Darkness We Awaken became a proxy for my emotional preparations for the next phase of my life — a diary documenting my personal metamorphosis.
From Darkness We Awaken — not once, but continually, renewing our promises to ourselves every moment of every day, forgiving ourselves when we break them, and trying again and again and again.
- Michael Malis
This piece is dedicated to Virago, who commissioned it. BethAnne Kunert, Meg Rorher, Sofia Carbonara, and Wesley Hornpetrie: you all are some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with. Your musicianship is of the highest caliber. Your improvisational spirits are restless. Your collaborative sensibilities are inviting. Thank you for believing in me, thank you for your patience as this project went down its long arc, and thank you for asking me to write this piece for you. I’m forever in your debt.