Unscripted

Nico Muhly is an exciting young composer whom I got to know this year. His latest CD, Speaks Volumes, is among the best new music works of 2007. In my view, anyway. It’s enormously varied and exciting, looking back on the dominant trend in minimalism but looking forward to a return of melody and tonal harmony in classical music, all the while exploring the uses of sound technology, much the way that good house DJs do. He’s not alone in this sensibility, but he certainly is among the youngest (he’s in his early 20s). So there’s a lot to look forward to, especially as the Internet and communications technologies continues to inspire new music composers and the record labels that are still devoted to them. Here’s an example — a music video made for all to see on YouTube by a video artists named Una Lorenzen set to Muhly’s “It Goes Without Saying.”