Wild at Heart is the second album in the “Chaconne Project” series on Sono Luminus which reaches into the realm of parallel universes — connecting the past to the present, into the future. A collection of contemporary chaconnes that echo reincarnations of Bach’s iconic work, Wild at Heart is in essence a stark contrast to the first release, Heroine. All music for acoustic, solo violin, it reflects a spectrum of sounds from delicate harmonics to extended-technique driven, hardcore noise with a touch of ethnic flare -- new responses to the iconic Bach Chaconne.  The composers featured on this album are Yoon-Ji Lee, Elizabeth Hoffman, Annie Gosfield and John King, who each introduce a unique voice, pushing sonic expectations of the violin in unexpected ways.

Heroine was released in the fall of 2019, just before the global pandemic hit. At that time, I fantasized about “freezing time” and played around with the concept that by stretching and layering a familiar piece of music into an open space, the sense of passing time can be altered into an infinite unknown. Part of understanding time relates to what we know comes next — the expectations or outcomes of what follows is what allows us to dream of a future which is yet to be defined. As there is no real way to control the future, the past is also unalterable. However, the journey in the present is a record of our evolution connecting the past to the present.

If this global pandemic of 2020 has made anything more clear, it is that we are all connected. By simply remembering something that is not physically here on earth anymore, it is “kept alive.” Some believe in the afterlife. This means there must have been a past life. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the possibility of both co-existing in “real time” and the notion of the omnipresent God. What if the dead, the living, and yet to be born are all part of a multilateral evo-system? Could the music that we perform, record and release be in some magnificent way connected?

At first, these new works felt like mere reactions to the Chaconne. But now, as Ambient Chaconne from Heroine was a futuristic reimagining of remaining fragments deconstructed, I really see this second album as a series of reincarnations of Bach’s Chaconne. Each composer found their own personal connection to the Chaconne, giving new life to those select elements from the original work that resonated with them. Whether it be the bass line, counterpoint, the keys of d minor and D Major, you will find a magical resemblance, evolved.

Performing the original work connects us to the past, keeping Bach present. Creating new works inspired by the Chaconne facilitates a dream for a future. And, the new works are reproductions of the past in new lifeforms.

Pauline Kim Harris

Reincarnations of J.S. Bach’s Chaconne

1   Shakonn (2014) [7:48]
Yoon-Ji Lee

2   morsels (2018) [6:21]
Elizabeth Hoffman

3   Long Waves and Random Pulses (2012) [10:53]
Annie Gosfield

4   C-H-A-C-O-N-N-E (2013) [14:56]
John King

Total Time:  [40:02]

Total time: 40:02
Release date: October 22, 2021
UPC: 053479225320

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Quotes & Reviews

“Pauline Kim Harris brings the piece to life with her fire and virtuosity, and Adrianne Pope’s video is an imaginative and playful interpretation of the rogue signals overtaking the airwaves.” - I Care If You Listen

“an uninhibited violin wonderland of extended techniques, powerful, ingenious and enterprising. There are no memorable melodies here but instead a universe made of fragments, textures and gestures, all centered around Chaconne. The depth of sound is astonishing and Harris’ violin is so sonorous that one feels an incredible sense of expansion listening to this album. Harris has impeccable command of her instrument. She is an artist with a wild imagination, great stamina and extraordinary control.” - Ivana Popovic, The Whole Note

“Best of Bandcamp Contemporary Classical: October 2021 | Yoon-Ji Lee’s “Shakonn” blends abstracted material from the Bach work with chanted vocals delivering words from a Korean sijo, a poetry form. “Morsels,” by Elizabeth Hoffman, is derived from an earlier piece she wrote for the violinist, also based on “Chaconne,” which seeks to remove the gendered gestures in the original, settling on something virtuosic in its stripped-down construction. Composer Annie Gosfield imagines a duet between violin and jammed radio signals on her “Long Waves and Random Pulses” (the version here transforms a quote from “Chaconne” as it might have been articulated as a jammed signal), asking Harris to toggle between virtuosic, classical passages, and noise-driven abstraction. The final piece is John King’s “C-H-A-C-O-N-N-E,” which plays with the form of the piece, winnowing down complex gestures and techniques into something elegantly simple.” - Peter Margasak, Bandcamp

“Harris revels in ethereal flights and virtuoso challenges… Harris is always up to the task of taming the technical beasts. She makes her way through the juxtaposition of haunting phrases and daunting acrobatics…” - Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone

“she uses a variety of extended techniques to broaden dramatically the soundworld associated with the instrument. More to the point, her visceral, no-holds-barred attack is in keeping with the style of her classical avant-punk violin duo” - Ron Schepper, Textura

“The whole album is satisfying in a way that's more than the sum of its parts, testifying to the continuing power of the great Bach Chaconne.” - James Manheim, AllMusic

“…a deeply personal offering that is filled with universal emotions and nothing but surprises and twists and turns as it wends it's way through the left of center and the mainstream without stopping to affix labels anywhere. A portrait of an artist at the height of her powers, if you know how to appreciate art, you are in for a real treat here. Unstoppable.” - Chris Spector, Midwest Record Guide

“From the get-go, Lee’s “Shakonn” sets the tone. The hint of Bach quickly melts away beneath a torrent of stabbing staccato, sliding glissando, and haunting vocalization. The result is exhilarating… Harris has called this album “a reincarnation” of Bach’s oft-recorded Chaconne. It is modern to the core.” - Greg Cahill, Strings Magazine