Stephen Emmer – Mt. Mundane
Composer Stephen Emmer unveils Mt. Mundane, an epic journey of overcoming personal crisis, for orchestra, piano and treble. Emmer is a Dutch composer and arranger from Amsterdam, who has been a prominent figure in the international music scene since the 1970’s.
Over 30 musicians and international music stars
Mt. Mundane is undoubtedly one of Emmer’s most opulent and personal works. The project was recorded in 2024 at Abbey Road Studios. The lineup features over 30 musicians and collaborations with international music stars, such as; Anthony Weeden (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Andrew Dudman (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Grammy Award-winning choral conductor Nigel Short, pianist Ben Dawson, and treble Joshua Davidson.
Tinnitus
In creating Mt. Mundane, Emmer set his life to music and in the process, came to terms with a drastic experience, the loss of hearing in his left ear. This posed an existential threat to him as a musician and composer. His experience of hearing loss led him to found the Artists Against Tinnitus foundation, to raise awareness for the hearing-related issues that musicians face.
The album symbolises the many crises that individuals can overcome, no matter how impossible they may initially seem. It’s meant to be a message of hope and optimism that Emmer aims to convey to his audience and those who also face life-altering situations. The music is a true tapestry of Emmer’s identity, incorporating melodies that have been with him since the early days of his career over 45 years ago. He weaves these enduring themes into stunning symphonic compositions, enriched by the insights and creativity of his current artistic phase.
15 Cinematic Adagios
Mt. Mundane comprises a total of 15 ‘cinematic adagios. Emmer chose the adagio movement for its ability to convey music in the most personal manner, using a musical suite’s most stately movement as a model in order to convey the many elements of grief in a pared-down manner. This includes moments of despair, hope, regret, and gratitude.
Caplet, Boulanger, Ravel and Debussy
In the process he drew inspiration from French composers of the post-impressionist era, such as André Caplet, Lili Boulanger, Ravel, and Debussy. Each renowned for their vividly colourful fauvist orchestrations and refined harmonisations.
Release date : 11 October 2024
Tracklist
01. Belvedere’s exotic garden
03. The here and the now
04. Everyman’s journey
05. Closer to the horizon
06. Monsieur Chroche
07. Don’t force the path
08. Expedition of the self
09. Scotch Rose
10. Personal Shangri-la
11. Imaginary climbing
12. Mirror of distraction
13. Seven storeys
14. Travels of a young man
15. Reaching the peak (pour Daphne)
Credits
Stephen Emmer – Composer, arranger, orchestrator, mixing producer
Anthony Weeden – Co-orchestrator, transcriber & orchestra conductor
Andrew Dudman – Recording and mixing engineer (Stereo and Atmos)
Oli Morgan – Mastering engineer (stereo and Atmos)
Rob Sannen – Technical support
Hilary Skewes, Sophie Procter, Jenny Plant – Orchestra fixer Hilary Skewes & Co
Ben Dawson – Soloist on piano
Nigel Short – Choirmaster
Joshua Davidson – Solo treble
Abbey Road studio 2, edit room and penthouse room – recorded, mixed & mastered
Ray Morimura – Original art image
Maarten Bousie – Graphic Design & Webmaster
Connie Kemp – Project manager
Thanks to Dan, Ed, Ellie, Sophie, Julia, Inez, Daphne
Musicians Abbey Road Studio 2 – 23 & 24 January 2024
Conductor – Anthony Weeden
Piano – Ben Dawson
Violin I – Jonathan Morton (orchestra leader), Max Baillie, Thomas Gould, Magdalena Filipczak, Eloisa-Fleur Thom, Amy Tress, Ronald Long, Yuliya Ostapchuk
Violin II – Ben Hancox, Magnus Johnston, Beatrix Lovejoy, Marije Johnston, Helena Wood, Ciaran McCabe, Juliette Roos, Gabriela Opacka-Boccadoro
Viola – James Boyd, Meghan Cassidy, Clifton Harrison, Ann Beilby, Eoin Schmidt-Martin, Stephen Upshaw
Cello – Ashok Klouda, Ben Chappell, Katherine Jenkinson, Victoria Harrild, Stephanie Tress, Chris Murray
Double Bass – Leon Bosch, Diane Clark, Lucy Shaw, Dominic Worsley
Flute – Karen Jones (double alto flute), Thomas Hancox (double piccolo)
Oboe – Philip Harmer (double cor)
Clarinet – Alan Andrews (double bass and contrabass)
Bassoon – Gavin McNaughton (double contra)
Horn – Richard Watkins, Corinne Bailey, Anna Douglass, Elise Campbell
Trumpet – Philip Cobb
Trombone – Andy Wood, Ed Tarrant, Becky Smith
Tuba – Adrian Miotti
Percussion – Joby Burgess, Paul Clarvis, Robert Farrer
Harp – Hugh Webb
Celeste – Catherine Edwards
Choir Abbey Road Studio 2 – 24 January 2024
Choirmaster – Nigel Short
Solo treble – Joshua Davidson
Soprano – Emma Walshe, Victoria Meteyard, Aine Smith, Katie Trethewey, Isabella Gibber, Rosanna Wicks, Laura Newey, Laura Oldfield
Tenor – Jeremy Budd, Nicholas Madden, Ben Alden, Hamish MacGregor, Jack Granby, Carlos Otero, Jacob Ewens, Ed Woodhouse
Alto – Martha McLorinan, Hannah Cooke, Shivani Rattan, Elizabeth Drury, Joy Sutcliffe, Elisabeth Paul, Christopher Mitchel, Hannah King
Bass – Jimmy Holliday, Jonathan Pratt, George Vines, Alex Semple, Tom Herring, Simon Whiteley, Alexander Hopkins, Thomas Lowen
Liner notes
Mount Mundane invites listeners into a personal (musical) tale about the life-journey each one of us has to make by overcoming daily grief, sorrow, distraction, disease, troubles and limitations as if climbing a huge mountain to finally reach a state of happiness, love and achievement and where you can loose your own consciousness into something greater then you are without social comparisons.
For this album I started a musical dialogue with my younger self and found back some old melodies I wrote about 45 years ago but at that time still was unable to embed in a matured musical setting or context. They were simple one-finger notes which I could now enrich with deep harmonisation and intricate arrangements. For the latter I was inspired by the very colourful music of post-impressionist composers.
The extra limitation here was that I recently partially lost my hearing in one ear in all those years that I carried these melodies with me in my mind. But I somehow managed to overcome this and was now even able to do deeper musical introspection then before and so this personal journey has come to be a meaningful achievement which shows there is always hope if you’re willing or able to climb that mountain.
[Stephen Emmer]
