John Allemeier
Deep Water: The Murder Ballads Albany Records May 1, 2014 Deep Water, The Murder Ballads consists of three distinct 20-minute chamber works, each based on an American murder ballad. Murder Ballads, a subgenre of traditional ballads, are folksongs whose lyrics recount the narratives of notorious murders. In the compositional process, the narrative serves as the formal design for each piece while the original folk melody functions as the musical “DNA.” The three pieces on this compact disc are the results of a collaborative effort between composer John Allemeier and dancer/choreographer E.E. Balcos, who together created an evening-length, dance-theater work based on three murder ballads—folksongs that describe homicides and their aftermaths. image: “murder” © Colleen Coover
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