Released on September 15th, 2023, “Polarity” is a collaborative album between PATHOS TRIO, and composers IAN CHANG, PHONG TRAN, ANDREW M. RODRIGUEZ, VICENTE HANSEN ATRIA, PAUL MORTILLA, and CLARA WARNAAR, dedicated to presenting newly commissioned works for two percussionists, piano, and electronics with accompanying music videos produced by Philadelphia based film/videography company FOUR/TEN MEDIA, who has worked with several Grammy ® nominated artists over the years.

Serving as a successor to our first album “When Dark Sounds Collide” the commissions on this album seek to further push the boundaries of combining aesthetics of contemporary classical music with Pathos’ interests in dark, heavy, dense sounds that we find appealing from other genres of music such as alternative rock, progressive/black metal, minimalist music, and electronic synthwave music. What makes this album different aesthetically from our first album, is the inclusion of electronic components to each piece on this album. Whether that be through usage of electronic instruments in combination with acoustic sounds, doing live electronics in real time, or using pre-recorded/pre-made tracks that accompany the ensemble, our goal was to create truly unique pieces of music that will engage, challenge, and appeal to audiences in both mainstream and classical/new music worlds.

Each composer featured on this album specifically explores various sound worlds through their own vernacular. Ian Chang’s Mega Cicada being a pulsating, electro alternative rock style trio; Phong Tran’s Split being a synthesizer wave of sounds with two clashing hard rock drumsets; Andrew M. Rodriguez’s PITY blending, distorting, and contorting acoustic and electronic sounds that blur the lines between harmony and rhythm; Vicente Hansen Atria’s Monolitos being a hard rock trio with leading guitar sampled sounds accompanied by modified drumset and piano; Paul Mortilla’s 21600 being a rock trio that uses contemporary/experimental sounds and techniques; and Clara Warnaar’s Home/Gone closing out the album with it’s pop/mainstream soundscape ending with heavy improvisation and audio playback. These composers, their work, and these pieces exemplify the exact kind of music we want to commission, perform, and champion for years to come.

Released on March 18th, 2022 through NEW FOCUS RECORDINGS, “When Dark Sounds Collide: New Music for Percussion and Piano” is a PATHOS TRIO’s debut album, which was collaborative project that had spanned over 2 years between PATHOS TRIO, and composers ALYSSA WEINBERG, ALISON YUN-FEI JIANG, ALAN HANKERS, FINOLA MERIVALE, and EVAN CHAPMAN, to presenting newly commissioned works for two percussionists and piano and accompanying music videos produced by Philadelphia based audio/film/videography company FOUR/TEN MEDIA.

The commissions featured on this album were the first batch of works the ensemble ever curated and was in many ways the Pathos’ first attempt to combine aesthetics of contemporary classical music with the ensemble's interests in dark, heavy, dense sounds drawn from other genres of music such as alternative rock, cathedral music, minimalist music, electronic synth-wave, and more. As a result, each work on this album creates raw, edgy, and powerful soundscapes that will engage audiences in both mainstream and classical/ new music scenes.

Each composer involved in this album also specifically explores various sound worlds through their own vernacular. Evan Chapman's fiction of light is a minimalist, electronic style rock trio; Alyssa Weinberg's Delirious Phenomena features heavily percussive prepared piano; Alison Yun-Fei Jiang's Prayer Variations is solemn and gloomy with church-like melodies; Finola Merivale's oblivious/ oblivion charts a course from calm to frantic; and Alan Hankers' Distance Between Places being our heavy hitting finale to this album. These composers and their pieces exemplify the kind of music making that has energized us to commission and champion these new works.

Physical copies of both “Polarity” and “When Dark Sounds Collide” can also be purchased directly from Pathos Trio. By emailing us at pathos.ensemble@gmail.com with your request for physical copy we can process and ship out an order directly to you.

You can also purchase both albums electronically via Amazon, Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Barnes and Noble.

We've worked hard in putting these albums together and making them as accessible as possible, and so hope you'll consider purchasing and giving a listen to each album!