The Book of Spells The Merian Ensemble

• Clarice Assad (b. 1978): The Book of Spells:
• 1Assad: The Book of Spells: Chapter I: Love and Relationships; The Siren’s Seduction04:10
• 2Assad: The Book of Spells: Chapter II: Wealth and Prosperity; Spell of Summon Greed03:44
• 3Assad: The Book of Spells: Chapter III: Health and Well-Being; A Spell for Global Healing03:21
• Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962): The Sound of Light:
• 4Higdon: The Sound of Light06:36
• Lynne Plowman (b. 1969): Small World:
• 5Plowman: Small World10:44
• Nicole Chamberlain (b. 1977): Atalanta:
• 6Chamberlain: Atalanta06:24
• Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti (b. 1983): meridian:
• 7Lanzilotti: meridian07:37
• Mary Kouyoumdjian (b. 1983): A Boy and a Makeshift Toy:
• 8Kouyoumdjian: A Boy and a Makeshift Toy08:28
• Clarice Assad: Solais:
• 9Assad: Solais05:23
• Soon Hee Newbold (b. 1974): Alis Volat Propriis:
• 10Newbold: Alis Volat Propriis (“She Flies With Her Own Wings”)05:43
• Kimberly R. Osberg (b. 1992): Just Another Climb:
• 11Osberg: Just Another Climb04:17
• Total Runtime01:06:27

Info for The Book of Spells

Passion and intellect meld in THE BOOK OF SPELLS, the Merian Ensemble’s hotly anticipated debut album. The album is comprised entirely of world premiere recordings, with works by Clarice Assad, Nicole Chamberlain, Jennifer Higdon, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Soon Hee Newbold, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Lynne Plowman, each but one* commissioned by the Merian Ensemble. The Book of Spells offers a gripping and intimate portrait of modern chamber music, performed with brilliance and precision by an ensemble of world-class soloists who are dedicated to the elevation of women’s voices in classical music.

Clarice Assad’s titular composition, The Book of Spells, opens the recording with three movements “inspired by rituals that deal with magic, which is done to achieve a particular goal, righteous or wicked” (Assad). The album continues, weaving together elements of folklore, faith, and science, with Nicole Chamberlain’s Atalanta, Lynne Plowman’s Small World, Jennifer Higdon’s The Sound of Light, Mary Kouyoumdjian’s A Boy and a Makeshift Toy*, Kimberly Osberg’s Just Another Climb, Soon Hee Newbold’s Alis Volat Propriis (She Flies With Her Own Wings), and Clarice Assad’s Solais. And in meridian, Leilehua Lanzilotti explores the themes of metamorphosis, inspired by the Merian Ensemble’s namesake, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717), a German entomologist, naturalist, and scientific illustrator, whose work is featured on the album’s cover and book.

Taken as a whole, The Book of Spells offers a finely-drawn portrait of 21st century chamber music — the compelling repertoire, composers, and performers — while also highlighting the still-underrepresented voices of women in classical music.

*Mary Kouyoumdjian’s A Boy and a Makeshift Toy was originally commissioned by Michael Hall as a piece for viola and piano; it is presented here in a new Merian Ensemble arrangement.

I have long been intrigued by anything unexplained with pure logic, so occult themes, witchcraft, and the fantasy world have long been companions of my imagination. The Book of Spells is a three-movement composition inspired by rituals that deal with magic, which is done to achieve a particular goal, righteous or wicked. Each movement explores a rite and follows the reasoning of a book I came across. The chapter sections are thematic, each focusing on assorted areas of interest: Chapter one deals with matters of the heart (Love and Relationship); Chapter Two is about bringing wealth and prosperity into one’s life. Chapter Three is about Health and well-being. Within each chapter, hundreds of spells teach the practitioner how to prepare and perform the rites, each for a particular purpose. (Clarice Assad)

The Merian Ensemble:
Christina Smith, flute
Emily Brebach, oboe, English horn
Marci Gurnow, clarinet, bass clarinet
Jessica Oudin, viola
Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp

The Merian Ensemble
is a chamber music group dedicated to promoting the standard of an inclusive repertoire. The group was formed in 2018 by five women musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, determined to counteract the striking dearth of women composers programmed in classical music settings. Even today, research shows that of 111 major orchestras across 31 countries, only 7.7% of works played were written by women. (Donne – Women in Music, 2022). Through their “Listen: Works by Women” initiatives, the Merian Ensemble performs the abundant repertoire of music by women and commissions a new work each year. In addition to traditional concerts, they give outreach performances for school-age children and presentations at libraries and public spaces throughout Atlanta. Their performances have been featured multiple times on NPR’s “Performance Today,” and they were a recipient of a travel grant from Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation through USArtists International. To date, they have commissioned seven new works, with several more planned in the near future. The Merian Ensemble was supported by New Music USA’s Organizational Fund in 2023–2024.

This album contains no booklet.