Dylan Mattingly - The Wild Heart (Contemporaneous)

Information

Composer: Dylan Mattingly

1. The Transmutation Notebooks: I. Ulysses Dances
2. The Transmutation Notebooks: II. Notes for Another Life
3. The Transmutation Notebooks: III. The History of Life in Reverse
4. The Transmutation Notebooks: IV. Last Dance
5. The Transmutation Notebooks: V. Past Ithaca
6. Sunt Lacrimae Rerum (These the Tears of Things)

Iarla Ó Lionáird, vocal

Contemporaneous

David Bloom, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Nonesuch

_____________________

Nonesuch Records has released The Wild Heart, the label debut from composer Dylan Mattingly, performed by Contemporaneous under conductor David Bloom alongside sean nós vocalist Iarla Ó Lionáird. Derived from Mattingly's epic History of Life, the album features The Transmutation Notebooks and Sunt Lacrimae Rerum, drawing thematic inspiration from Charles Darwin’s journals and Virgil’s Aeneid. Celebrated by John Adams as an "American Maverick," Mattingly utilizes re-tuned pianos and harps to transform familiar harmonic structures into microtonal, ecstatic soundscapes. Through constantly evolving musical motifs, the release presents an intensely resonant, optimistic celebration of life's beauty amidst periods of loss.

Dylan Mattingly is an acclaimed American composer and executive director of the ensemble Contemporaneous, known for creating expansive, transformative musical works. His epic six-hour opera Stranger Love, commissioned by the LA Phil and premiered in 2023, earned widespread critical acclaim, including a spot on the New York Times Best Classical Music Performances list. Formally trained at Bard College and Yale, Mattingly’s compositions have been performed by major festivals, orchestras, and prominent artists nationwide. Recognized with the Charles Ives Scholarship and named Musical America's New Artist of the Month, Mattingly combines wild imagination with structural ambition, championing large-scale contemporary projects that offer euphoric, communal listening experiences.

High Resolution 24-bit / 48 kHz