Modernists

This expansive ensemble tackles arrangements of Varèse, The Beatles, and more. Modernism was a genre created to develop art through attention to form and dissonance and to emphasize the horrors of everyday life. The goal of Alarm Will Sound’s record, however, is to penetrate those dissonances in order to find moments of meaning and beauty. *Big Spinoff* follows the pointillistic lines of Webern and the color and buoyancy of Messiaen, while M. Marks’ arrangement of The Beatles’ “Revolution 9” presents modernism through the lens of popular music, setting side by side the brilliant pop of The Beatles and the terrifying expressionism of the modernists.

As modern music moves beyond modernism, the classical community is still scared of the innovations of 75 years ago. Alarm Will Sound tackles those scary sounds and finds new life.