Decca Releases its Third Album of Music by Nico Muhly, Seeing is Believing, Available June 21st

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Includes the Concerto for Electric Violin and Other Original Compositions as well as Arrangements of Vocal Works by Byrd and Gibbons

Decca is proud to continue its association with American composer Nico Muhly with the release of their third album together, Seeing is Believing. Having previous concentrated on choral music and a complete ballet score, this album includes four original compositions and three orchestral arrangements of vocal works originally by both William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons. The Aurora Orchestra, the relatively new, young British ensemble, records this album under the direction of contemporary music specialist Nicholas Collon. The album will be released on June 21, 2011 just days before the premiere of Muhly’s opera, Two Boys, in London.

The centerpiece of the album is the concerto for electric violin, Seeing is Believing. This unique, six-string instrument makes available a variety of sounds that are both vaguely familiar and wholly new. The leader of the Aurora Orchestra, Thomas Gould, became acquainted with Muhly’s work while in school and that eventually led to this composition. On his initial response to Gould’s proposition of composing a work for electric violin, Muhly said: “Of course, it sounds like a kind of crazy idea. And also I liked it because it sort of sounded like a bad idea. And that’s the best thing: take something that seems like a bad idea and make it into a good idea.” In addition to Seeing is Believing, the album includes three more works for chamber orchestra: Motion, By All Means and Step Team.

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