My friend, Mikael Karlsson, has been a force in the NYC classical scene—and, indeed, globally—for going on two decades, and in that time he's released over 20 albums. These days he works extensively with large canvases such as operas, and has become especially noteworthy for his work in modern dance and ballet, with performances from such diverse dance companies as the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Scottish National Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the Gothenburg Opera Dance Company. His works have been performed by some of the great performing giants of our time, such as the incomparable Anne Sofie von Otter. And I was very glad, indeed, to have been in attendance at his legendary 2014 joint concert with Tobias Picker at Le Poisson Rouge, a good example of the collaborative spirit which has informed so much of his output.

The clip for this month comes from his 2008 album, privacy, an intimate collection of chamber works. Pieces range from a wild flute extravaganza, to the amazingly-titled piano work, In Case of Brahms. The work I've chosen to sample is the beautiful duet, Nilon, for violin and viola. Even with a virtual inventory of so-called extended techniques, each moment feels honest, organic, and effective, and there is not a hint of the gimmickry which might befall composers with less skill, vision, and passion who use the same techniques. And, of course, these techniques are simply integrated into the sonic landscape as a whole; indeed, one might not even notice their special "otherness" unless it were expressly pointed out. Listen to the beautiful interplay of register, timbre, dynamics, and articulation in this clip, evoking reminiscences ranging from Bartók to Wozzeck, and yet remaining its own thing.