Haunt of Last Nightfall David T. Little

DAVID T. LITTLE

HAUNT OF LAST NIGHTFALL

From composer David T. Little and acclaimed ensemble Third Coast Percussion, Haunt of Last Nightfall looks to a tragic moment in El Salvadoran history, the massacre at El Mozote, in December 1981 as the artistic starting point.

The album received many year-end accolades, including being chosen as one of iTunes' Best of 2014 in Classical Musicand inclusion in I Care If You Listen's 2014 New Music Holiday Gift Guide. Furthermore, it was applauded as "massively impressive" by Rhapsody and a "rich and gripping emotional experience" by NewMusicBox.

The work of American composer David T. Little does not shy away from difficult topics. Whether it’s in his operas (a recent commission came from the Metropolitan Opera’s MET/LCT new works program) or with his Orwell-inspired ensemble Newspeak, Little uses the juxtaposition of blunt force and subtle textures to explore themes of power, truth, corruption, and desperation. Haunt of Last Nightfall is no different.

Of the piece, Little says, “I think a lot about ghosts…of things that remain behind as the fleeting evidence of what once was. Since reading about El Mozote, I have been unable to get it out of my mind: how this village, innocent by virtually every account, was wiped out. Caught in the crossfire of a stupid ideological battle, its people now ghosts. What we know shapes us, and whether I like it or not, I now know this.”

In addition to Third Coast Percussion, the album features instrumental contributions from Eileen Mack (Newspeak, Victoire), Mellissa Hughes (Newspeak, John Zorn), Andrew McKenna Lee (The Knells) and Toby Driver (Kayo Dot, Secret Chiefs 3). David T. Little himself provides snare drum, claps and Ableton Live programming on the record. Andrew McKenna Lee, who has previously worked with Daniel Wohl, William Brittelle and The Knells, mixed Haunt of Last Nightfall.

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