In 21600, the new video from Pathos Trio produced by Four/Ten Media, an orange luminescence washes over a dim performance space where the trio — percussionists Marcelina Suchocka and Felix Reyes, and pianist Will Healy — paints a meditative instrumental ambience. But the neon lights, and the double percussion set, also suggest a pent-up intensity that is about to erupt into rhythmic interaction between the musicians.
Today on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN, we’re happy to premiere 21600, the latest collaboration between composer Paul Mortilla and Pathos — an unclassifiable contemporary trio that sits somewhere between the boundaries of classical, rock, synthwave, and jazz, creating intricate grooves and spacey atmospheres. 21600 appears on Pathos Trio’s second album, Polarity, which also features newly commissioned works by Ian Chang, Phong Tran, Andrew M. Rodriguez, Vicente Hansen Atria, and Clara Warnaar.
Paul Mortilla — Photo by Ábel Esbenshade
According to Mortilla’s notes, people tend to forget that the simple act of breathing is the most essential task we perform every day — the average person takes 21,600 breaths per day. And just like our breathing can become agitated or irregular, the bright energy of the piece’s opening finally bursts into an electronic keyboard vying against a diverse array of percussion instruments playing jagged rhythms. But the cathartic gushing eases down toward the end; like in the beginning, time slows down and you catch yourself breathing once again.
Here is what Pathos Trio would like you to know about 21600:
Serving as a successor to our first album, When Dark Sounds Collide, the commissions on Polarity seek to further push the boundaries of combining aesthetics of contemporary classical music with Pathos’ interests in dark, heavy, dense sounds that we find appealing from other genres, such as alternative rock, progressive/black metal, minimalist music, and electronic synthwave music, through the inclusion of electronic components to each piece on this album.
Specifically with Paul Mortilla’s 21600, this contemporary/jazz rock trio piece explores what happens when the ensemble enters into a rhythm and centers itself on a single focus of being still and listening, the result being an upwelling of energy and excitement that is always present.
Polarity is slated for release on Sept. 15 through Imaginary Animals. Pre-order your copy/download here.
About Pathos Trio
“Elevated themselves into those elite ranks alongside Yarn/Wire, Sō Percussion, Tigue, Iktus and Ensemble Et Al”, as described by the New York Music Daily, Pathos Trio (percussionists Marcelina Suchocka, Felix Reyes, and pianist/composer Will Healy) is a two percussion/piano trio committed to combining aesthetics of contemporary classical music with their interests in dark, heavy, dense sounds drawn from various genres of music such as alternative rock, progressive/black metal, cathedral music, minimalist music, and electronic synth-wave through collaborations with young, living new music composers, in order to bring adventurous music to audiences.
Their current project, Polarity, the ensemble’s second studio album, contains six newly commissioned works written by composers Paul Mortilla, Andrew Rodriguez, Ian Chang, Clara Warnaar, Phong Tran, and Vicente Hansen Atria. This album will be released on Sept. 15 through Imaginary Animals, and is graciously supported by New Music USA, Amphion Foundation, and Chamber Music America.
About Paul Mortilla
As a composer, Paul Mortilla seeks to write engaging music through juxtaposing many different styles as a sort of collage. Paul draws influence from many genres of music within and outside classical music, such as church music to electronic dance music. Paul began composition at the Frost School of Music in Miami, and went on to do a Bachelors of Music at Indiana University and completed his Masters in Composition at Yale University.
Paul has received many awards/accolades and has worked with many ensembles/festivals to premiere his music, such as the Albany Symphony, Tanglewood Music Festival, Alarm Will Sound, and Mizzou International Composers Festival. Paul currently composes orchestral works, opera, chamber music and electronic music. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in Composition at Rice University. During his down time, he serves as a librettist and visual artist for many multimedia collaborations.
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN is an editorially-independent program of the American Composers Forum, and is made possible thanks to generous donor and institutional support. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and may not represent the views of ICIYL or ACF.
You can support the work of ICIYL with a tax-deductible gift to ACF. For more on ACF, visit the “At ACF” section or composersforum.org.
