fivebyfive's Debut Album 'Of and Between' Features New Commissions That Explore Relationships Between Visual Art and Music

Rochester, NY—Forged in the heat of molten glass and dancing through the strange choreography of the pandemic comes fivebyfive’s debut CD Of and Between (ArtistShare), released on December 1, 2021. With this recording, the award-winning Rochester, NY-based ensemble, fivebyfive (flute, clarinet, electric guitar, bass, and piano), realizes a collaborative artistic vision to capture movement, light, and connections through music and art.

The works represent collaborations with seven composers—chosen for their wide-ranging styles and backgrounds—to create new music in response to stained glass art by Judith Schaechter and photography by James Welling:

Choreograph Collection (inspired by Welling’s “Choreograph” series)

• Dancing About Architecture - Kamala Sankaram
• It Can't Not Be Dance Music - Robert Lydecker
• BOKEH - Yuanyuan (Kay) HE

Glass Works Collection (inspired by Schaechter’s The Battle of Carnival and Lent)

• Blue Jewel - Edie Hill
• Manhattan - Jung Sun Kang
• Procession and Burlesque - Jonathan Russell
• Of and Between - Andrea Mazzariello

Completing the album is a bonus track of Anthony R. Green’s…a tiny dream…

On pre-release audition of the recording, Jessica Meyer—composer and GRAMMY®-nominated violist—effusively wrote that “fivebyfive slips effortlessly between haunting soundscapes, rhapsodic interplay, and tight grooves.”

This pandemic-born album built on—and expanded—fivebyfive’s existing relationship with audio engineer Marc Webster. Inspired by the pieces’ stylistic influences beyond traditional classical music, fivebyfive and Webster began exploring studio production techniques outside the standard concert hall style, “more often associated with rock bands and DJ mixes,” Webster explained. These included letting the sonic environment evolve with the mood of the piece, or adding a unique instrumental effect to enhance its role in the composition. “As we pushed the envelope,” Webster concluded, “we found a whole new landscape for approaching the music beyond what we normally would do—and hear—in the classical music genre.”

Speaking for fivebyfive, flutist and Artistic Director Laura Lentz notes that the recording “captures the beauty and tension of motion suspended in time—when our ensemble was challenged to stay in motion as the world was shutting down.” Lentz adds “it’s an album of perseverance, hope and creativity, of movement and freedom during a time of restriction and isolation. We invite listeners to be present in these spaces ‘of and between.’ ”

Biographies, program notes, and album details are at https://www.fivebyfivemusic.com/aboutof-and-between. The music is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music, download on all digital platforms, and the CD sold at https://www.artistshare.com for $19.95 plus tax and shipping.

This recording was made possible thanks to New Music USA, Genesee Valley Council on the Arts, the Eastman School of Music, and individual ArtistShare supporters. In November 2020—in partnership with the George Eastman Museum—fivebyfive premiered the three “Choreograph” pieces in a live webinar, and soon after recorded the four “Glass Works” pieces with a vision to include all seven pieces together for this album.

About fivebyfive:

Formed in 2015, fivebyfive is an artist-led Rochester NY-based ensemble with a mission to engage audiences in the collaborative spirit and creativity of today’s chamber music. The ensemble is now a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

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