Streaming service TIDAL has created a new David T. Little Essentials Playlist, featuring twenty tracks written over the last twenty years—from solo cello, to Newspeak, to opera and oratorio—it’s got it all, performed by some of the best musicians around. Here’s what they had to say about it:
Influenced in equal turns by minimalism, Baroque music and heavy metal, composer David T. Little (b. 1979) has become a star of the contemporary opera world with his highly-acclaimed operas “Soldier Songs” (a monodrama about the toll of war), “Dog Days” (a post-apocalyptic family drama) and “JFK” (a grand opera taking place the day before John F. Kennedy was assassinated). He’s also written extensively for orchestra, chorus and a variety of chamber groups. In this playlist, get to know some of Little’s best-known recordings, like “sweet light crude” (written for the ensemble he co-founded, Newspeak), “Am I Born” and his operas, including the haunting “Mirror, Mirror” aria from “Dog Days.”