Telekinesis

Telekinesis-an eighty-seven-piece work for electric guitars, orchestra, choir, and electronics-will be released on November 11, 2022, via New Amsterdam and Nonesuch Records. Featuring the Metropolis Ensemble conducted by Andrew Cyr, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus conducted by Dianne Berkun Menaker, and chamber choir The Crossing conducted by Donald Nally, Telekinesis is the first studio recording of the work.

Telekinesis is the result of a co-commission by the Southbank Centre London and Musica Nova, Helsinki Festival. The world premiere took place on April 18, 2018, at Queen Elizabeth Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Singers, followed by a performance at Helsinki Festival by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Andre de Ridder conducted both performances.

Braxton calls Telekinesis "the latest and largest example of intersections between my electronic music and notated music, both sonically and philosophically." Throughout the recording and production process, Braxton sought to "create an environment where electronic instruments and acoustic instruments coexist in a place that feels balanced and organic." To achieve that, the orchestra, choir, and electronics were tracked section by section at Oktaven Audio in Mt Vernon, New York from August 2021 to March 2022 by engineer Ryan Streber. This allowed for a hyper-detailed mix session with Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, RI. As a studio recording, the mix recreates how an orchestra would be placed (with some exceptions) but is exaggerated in its width and in the closeness and depth of certain instruments, surrounding the listener.