Penelope has been named No. 3 Album of 2010 by textura Magazine on their list of the Top 10 & 20 Albums of the Year! My New Amsterdam cohorts and I have long admired textura for its standards and integrity, so this is a great honor, especially to be in the company of so many innovative musical creators.
In the feature, textura writes: “The debut album by NYC-based composer Sarah Kirkland Snider is a ravishing hour-long song cycle based on Homer’s Odyssey that bridges modern classical and electronic genres and proves even more affecting when graced by the vocalizing of Shara Worden and supported by the chamber ensemble Signal. Some of the album’s fourteen pieces are atmospheric and dirge-like, while others are poignant and even emotionally wrenching. This year or any year for that matter, one would be hard pressed to hear melodies that are more gorgeous and soul-stirring than those distinguishing “The Lotus Eaters.” Material so powerful places Penelope head and shoulders above much else that was released in 2010.”