Meredith Monk: Cellular Songs

“Cooperation, interdependence and kindness” are the qualities that Meredith Monk emphasizes in Cellular Songs, “as an antidote to the values that are being propagated right now.” Of the work’s premiere performance the New York Times wrote, “Ms. Monk spun together divergent elements so fluidly that it created an unmistakable sense of hope. It’s much easier to conceive of bridging public divides — or even containing multitudes, as an individual — when you witness a synthesis like the one created in Cellular Songs.” The second part of an interdisciplinary trilogy begun with On Behalf of Nature, Cellular Songs looks inward, at the fabric of life itself, and draws inspiration from cellular activity including replication and mutation, in the course of some of Meredith Monk’s most adventurous vocal music. The composer describes her process in spatial terms: “Earlier, my music had much more to do with layering. Now you can almost see or hear the piece rotating as if it were a sculpture in space.” Recorded at New York’s Power Station in 2022 and 2024, Cellular Songs is Meredith Monk’s thirteenth album for ECM New Series.