Songs for the End of Time, Vol. 1

An arrangement of Olivier Messiaen’s
Quartet for the End of Time
by Brandon Ridenour & Ben Russell

releaseD JANUARY 15, 2021

on CD, Digital And Vinyl

This album is about transcendence and hope. It speaks directly to the swirling chaos surrounding us: Stop. Listen. Lift your eyes. When writing this piece, we drew heavily from Olivier Messiaen’s monumental work, Quartet for the End of Time, which he wrote while incarcerated at a German prison-of-war camp in 1941. In listening to his masterpiece, it is clear he was able to transcend from his physical confinement into a spiritual realm of hope through music. In re-arranging his music, we are re-telling his musical journey of transcendence with our own musical language. And with a nod to his Roman Catholic devotion, we recorded this album in a Catholic cathedral in downtown Brooklyn - an inspiring structure with stunning acoustics, a hidden gem in a crowded urban landscape, a symbol of hope in the midst of these chaotic times.

“...clustering neo-baroque piano riffage, plaintive strings, unexpected dynamic shifts and an unassailable sense of melody..”

— New York Music Daily

ABOUT FOUNDERS:

Merging the talents of five conservatory trained musicians from New York City (Ben Russell, violin/vocals; Brandon Ridenour, trumpet/piano; Hamilton Berry, cello/vocals; Yoonah Kim, clarinet; and Greg Chudzik, bass), Founders is a “defiant, brilliant, virtuosic quintet” captivating audiences everywhere. Combining classical, folk music, original compositions and pop arrangements, Founders is re-imagining the concert experience. As the New York Music Daily states, "Their excellent debut album, You & Who, is unlike anything else out there right now."

On February 22, 2020, Founders won 1st Place & the Audience Choice Award at the SAVVY International Chamber Competition, which includes being Artists-in-Residence at the University of South Carolina School of Music in the spring of 2022.