MusicWeb International

by Steve Arloff

Chelsea Komschlies’s Beyond Machines and Human Fear, Space which was Never Our Frontier is scored for flute, clarinet, saxophone and bassoon. It explores the notion that space, though unknown and thus frightening, also has an infinite magisterial beauty. The composer hints at clichéd sci-fi sounds to evoke the way we are used to representing space in music (ethereal sounds, sometimes from that most other-worldly, eerie theremin). The instruments here point to this, while Komschlies contrasts them with the softer, less brittle sounds of space. She portrays them as gently spiritual while she indicates the overwhelming, seemingly never-ending vastness.

The Clarinet Magazine

of the International Clarinet Association

by Sarah Manasreh

Crescent Duo’s Flute/Clarinet Chronicles is a potpourri of diverse literature in a two-disc set. Joanna Cowan White and Kennen White’s fourth duo album begins with Steam, a steampunk fantasy world by Chelsea Komschlies. The whimsical fourth movement “Flying Machine” is particularly attractive and exhibits both performers’ tonal warmth and masterful blending of timbres. The flowing arpeggiation and soaring melodies that interlace each other are performed with virtuosity and a lightness that captures the imagery of flight.