On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Aart Strootman’s Descend is a gentle tide of sound — slow, glassy, and immersive. Strings drift in silvery layers, surfacing and folding back on themselves in waves that feel tactile and luminous. There’s a quiet, rhythmic shimmer beneath it all, like a faraway rattle rolling in with the current.
Then: How do we hold on, even as everything changes? That question lies beneath The Impermanence of Things by Michael Zev Gordon. Across thirteen brief movements, the piece slips between motion and stillness, with fleeting echoes of Couperin, Debussy, and Mahler surfacing like memories.
Also in this episode: music by Hania Rani performed by violinist Mari Samuelsen, pianist Julien Quentin, and Scoring Berlin; Shelley Washington performed by PUBLIQuartet; Tiange Zhou performed by pianist Chen-Hui Jen; Iman Habibi performed by saxophonist Timothy McAllister and pianist Liz Ames; Sarah Louise Bassingthwaighte performed by the London Symphony Orchestra; Reena Esmail performed by cellist Pierre Fontenelle; Anthony R. Green performed by cellist Bryan Hayslett; and Katherine Balch performed by Exceptet.
That’s on the next Modern Notebook — Sunday night at 8 on WSMR, and online at WSMR.org.
Hour 1 Glass by Hania Rani Shelley Washington’s Middleground Room (from One Day) by Tiange Zhou Aart Strootman’s Descend Sulfuric Rivers by Iman Habibi Sarah Louise Bassingthwaighte’s Let There Be Sparrows, then Varsha by Reena Esmail | 
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Hour 2 r e c o v e r i n g (speech rhythm study I) by Anthony R. Green Michael Zev Gordon’s The Impermanence of Things Tree Lines by Katherine Balch | 
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Each week, Tyler Kline journeys into new territory and demystifies the music of living composers on Modern Notebook. Listen for a wide variety of exciting music that engages and inspires, along with the stories behind each piece and the latest releases from today’s contemporary classical artists. Discover what’s in store on Modern Notebook.