Michael Bates recently released an album titled Metamorphosis: Variations on Lutoskawski. This album contains Michael’s arrangements and is based on arrangements of the composer Witold Lutoslawski, with music for clarinet, violin, bassoon, double bass, drums, plus string quartet. It’s a hybrid of jazz, classical, and improvisation and is a wild ride of styles and textures.
We talk about the genesis of this idea, what it was like traveling to Poland to record this album, plans or touring with this ensemble, future projects with the Lutoslawski quartet, and more.
Check out the promo for this project on YouTube, give the album a listen on Spotify and Apple Music, and follow along with Michael’s inspiring work on Instagram!
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Timestamps
- theme music by Eric Hochberg
00:00 Introduction and Album Promotion
00:08 Discussing Michael Bates' New Album
01:02 Catching Up with Michael Bates
01:16 Exploring Lutoslavsky's Music
04:03 The Making of the Album
09:55 Sponsor Shoutout: Carnegie Mellon University
12:05 Deep Dive into Lutoslavsky's Music
16:32 The Composing Process
22:51 Finding Inspiration in the Backyard
23:31 The Art of Balancing Work and Rest
24:19 The Challenges of Being an Early Riser in the Music Industry
25:19 The Ideal Environment for Writing Music
26:22 Drawing Inspiration from Ludo Slavsky
26:43 The Journey of Creating the Album
31:03 The Influence of Polish Musicians and Culture
34:25 Future Projects and Plans
36:48 The Role of Instruments in Music Creation
42:03 The Power of Podcasts in Connecting Musicians
42:52 Wrapping Up and Looking Forward
