recent press (selected)
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Washington Post — “23 for ’23: Composers and performers to watch this year” (2023)
“The Chicago-based composer shows impressive range and a restless energy. He composes lithe, elastic vocal pieces…vibrant orchestral works…and evocative études for string quartet. I’m especially fond of “a string quartet is like a flock of birds,” a spellbinding set of meditations for string quartet in nine interlocking movements.” Yale News — “Paul Novak: Composition, Collaboration, and Conversation” (2023) “The idea of dance is something I’ve been obsessed with since the beginning of the pandemic. When the pandemic hit, my music changed in a very dramatic way…” Novak says of his inspiration for [gravity dances]. “I wanted to write music that was comforting and felt really fun to play. So the idea of dance has been really important to me: music that’s filled with joy and excitement and animation." Classique News — “Entretien avec le Quatuor Lontano” (2023) “Novak's work immediately distinguished itself by the poetry of its subject and the refinement of his writing. A virtuoso showcase for the quartet, this piece is also very idiomatic, with its structure of contrasting variations and its shimmering timbres which conjure a vast palette of colors and demonstrate remarkable mastery and maturity.” (translation by Paul Novak) Chicago Reader — “Gray Days, but Vibrant Stages” (2023) “Novak—who is creating “a ghost story through a queer lens” with Macaranas and Flanagan—notes, “Each team had a completely different style of collaboration and process: for some, the dance came first, for others, the music, and others worked on them simultaneously and together.” Audiophile Magazine — “La Montagne Magique; Quatuor Lontano” (2023) “This set of meditations in nine intertwined movements takes us to aerial horizons, where the members of the quartet constantly search for the others as in a ballet, chasing one another like a flock of birds. A beautiful tribute to this very young composer.” (translation by Paul Novak) Houston Chronicle, — “Kinetic Ensemble opens eighth season with a nature celebration” (2022) “For a string quartet is like a flock of birds….Chicago-based composer Paul Novak draws a connection between musicians’ lockdown experiences and birds’ ever-shifting flight formations — exploring...how the musicians in the string quartet can follow that flexible pattern.” UChicago News — “Two PhD students among winners of AAAL 2022 Music Awards” (2022) “The American Academy of Arts and Letters announced today the 18 recipients of this year’s awards in music… Among these winners is Paul Novak… [who was] awarded a Charles Ives Scholarship, an award of $7,500.” Arts and Culture Texas — “Distinct Voices, New Works, and Wild Soundscapes” (2022) “Structured as nine interlocking movements, Novak’s work reflects on the idea of disparate parts coming together. Meditations alternate with rhythmic dances. Throughout the piece, players overlap, diverge, circle, and find each other, much like birds in flight.” Broadway World — “American Composers Orchestra Announces Two Commissions” (2020) “Mentor composer Melinda Wagner says, ‘We were all impressed with Paul Novak’s exquisitely constructed piece—the patient bloom of colors, skittering textures, and whimsical clouds of sound. I am very excited about Paul’s Underwood Commission, and I look forward to hearing his new work for ACO.’” American Composers Orchestra Blog -- “Q&A with Composer Paul Novak” (2020) “And as someone who’s fascinated by art from a lot of different sources, I’ve found that interdisciplinary projects are an amazing way to use my music to amplify the voices of artists I respect, and advocate for art that I love.” Sun News Austin — “Brahms’ Mountainous Concerto” (2019) “[on buoyancy] evoke[d] for me the sense of floating in a primeval sea. Just the sort of sounds that might go through your head if you were tossed about in a chamber hovering just below the surface.” Austin-American Statesman, Feature — “Austin Symphony reveals a decisive season” (2018) “The 2017 Texas Young Composers winner by Paul Novak, “On Buoyancy,” will advance to the Masterworks series. ‘This is a first,’ Bay says. ‘It deserved to be on the subscription program.’” |