26 Little Deaths

26 Little Deaths - the new album from composer, singer and violinist Carla Kihlstedt and the contemporary ensemble Present Music - celebrates the macabre wit of iconic writer and illustrator Edward Gorey (1925-2000), whose 100th birthday fell on February 22, 2025. The album is an hour-long set of 26 miniatures for singing violinist and chamber orchestra, inspired by Gorey's macabre children's book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Following in the footsteps of Hanns Eisler and Kurt Weill, who moved seamlessly between art song, pop song and cabaret, Kihlstedt has created a work that captures the pathos, humor and wit of Gorey's indelible images.