Honey for the Ants by Wojciech Rusin

Traditional religious instrumentation like organs, pianos, and choir immediately sound antiquated, but these ancient tools holds within them the keys to expansive, inventive modern compositions. Honey for the Ants by Wojciech Rusin chops, layers, and sequences these components into boldly contemporary, warmly optimistic landscapes. Each song establishes a core motif, distorting one of these instruments into a shimmering centerpiece that sets the emotional tone. A small ensemble joins from the fringes of the stereo field, playfully engaging with the core distortion of the piece while adding symphonic flourishes of woodwinds, strings, and keys. Hearing stereotypically stuffy, regal sounds placed in such a bizarre, approachable, modern, and whimsical context humanizes music history, reminding us that we as a species haven’t fundamentally changed from the seemingly alien figures who penned the great symphonies of old.