Obsolete Music

Obsolete Music by Juri Seo, an anachronistic mixture of old forms with modern harmonic and rhythmic devices. Seo utilizes her masterful command over traditional classical forms to build intricate, driving, and surprising compositions which are brilliantly executed by the energetic sextet, Latitude 49, who is known for blending the finesse of a classical ensemble with the drive and precision of a finely tuned rock band, via New Amsterdam Records. Juri Seo is an Korean-American composer and pianist whose compositions merge many of the fascinating discoveries from the past century—in particular the expanded timbral palette and unorthodox structure—with functional tonality, counterpoint, and classical form

The composer explains: “Ostinato is built on a basso continuo that outlines a tritone. Relentless tempo modulations and allusions to jazz ultimately break the form. Rondeau and Fantasia are likewise based on historical forms, with Rondeau drawing from a Medieval verse-refrain structure and Fantasia from a freer, formless style, often regarded as transcribed improvisation. Contrapuntal Forms is a set of three pieces that reengage with counterpoint, an art often considered out of fashion in contemporary music. Fugue exists between 18th-century tonality and jazz harmony, creating a meta-stylistic discourse between the two. Cantus Firmus sets the 11thcentury antiphon “O rubor sanguinis” by Hildegard von Bingen. Canon sets voices in imitation, progressing through various intervals in the manner of the Goldberg Variations.”