Musica Transpacifica / Music of David Loeb

On this album David Loeb features his compositions that attempt to reconcile the seemingly incompatible combinations of viols with traditional Japanese instruments and voice. The result is a truly unique and satisfying musical experience. David Loeb was born in 1939 in New York into a family which took music and painting very seriously. He studied composition with Peter Pindar Stearns at the Mannes College of Music in New York, and then completed a master's degree at Yale. 1964 became a critical year for his future. He began teaching at Mannes and has remained on the faculty there ever since, simultaneously teaching at the Curtis Institute from 1973 until 2000. Receiving a commission to compose a piece for an early music ensemble resulted a continuing involvement with writing for historical instruments, especially viols. Later that same year he began studying traditional Japanese music with Shinichi Yuize. This also resulted in a permanent and intense involvement (not only as a composer) and a succession of collaborative projects with Yuize-san until his recent passing away.