Anonymous Man
Anonymous Man
“This work began with a discussion about diaspora—the disengaged, relocated, lost. But in Michael's thoughtful hands, it has grown into a beautiful contemplation of what a community is and does; how it makes, holds, and loses its own history. It's very personal; it has an intimacy that invites us to contemplate connections—those that are purposeful and those that happen by coincidence of time and place.” —Donald Nally
Selected for New Sounds “Top 10 of 2020”
Scored for 24 unaccompanied voices, Anonymous Man is an hour-long piece that expands on Michael Gordon’s inventive approach to composition, layering minimalistic swirls of vocal sound on top of one another to create a hypnotic incantation.
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at www.crossingchoir.org/anonymous-man
Gordon drew inspiration for the piece from his neighborhood in lower Manhattan. "When I moved into my loft on Desbrosses Street, the streets were empty, since few people lived there. Over time, the neighborhood changed from an industrial warehouse district to a residential area. Anonymous Man is a memoir about my block; it’s built around my memories of moving in, meeting my future wife for the first time there, and conversations I’ve had with two men who made their home on the loading dock across the street."