Camerata Philadelphia - Afterwards (2020)

AFTERWARDS... presents music that imagines a world different from the one we find ourselves in today, music that strives towards a sound that might be heard in a world where violence is no longer the ready answer to mens disputes, a world where reason prevails, a calmer world. On this album, the vehicle for this expression of hope is the string quartet, an ensemble about which composer Stanley Grill writes, it is the string quartet that has mostly occupied my attention over the years, as the intimate sound of a small consort of bowed strings is the perfect medium to express the contemplative sound landscape I strive to create. The music presented on this album reflects the same themes that dominate much of Stanley Grills work: an attempt to influence the minds and hearts of those who hear it in such a way as to encourage thoughts about the possibility of world peace, as well as music composed in an attempt to translate something about the nature of the physical world. About his music, Stanley Grill writes I am driven by a strong desire to create music that does more than entertain, but moves people to think about the urgent problems all of us face today. This, his fourth album, takes that goal a step further, centered around quartets composed as part of his personal Music for Peace project, as well as works that are evocative of a quiet, interior, meditative space that provides a musical counter to the chaotic, passion driven world around us. The music is performed by string players of Camerata Philadelphia. About the players, Stanley Grill writes that working with Camerata Philadelphia is always a great pleasure. They get my music completely and perfectly capture the contemplative spirit with which it was written.