Nicholas Phillips and Ethan Wickman released their CD Portals and Passages on Albany Records.

Two accomplished assistant music professors at UW-Eau Claire are celebrating their release of a CD of piano music with a major classical record label.

Albany Records will release the collaborative CD Portals and Passages, featuring the compositions of Ethan Wickman, played by pianist Nicholas Phillips.

“It is a very introspective work,” said Phillips, “intimate and spacious.”

After playing a piece called Passages from Wickman’s repertoire, Phillips was immediately impressed by the composition and Wickman’s musical style. The two collaborated in 2008 before The Wisconsin Music Teacher’s Association commissioned the production of Inside the Hubble Toolbox in 2009. Following this collaboration, Phillips approached Wickman with the idea of working together on a CD of Wickman’s piano works. Albany Records was thus the logical production company to send their work.

“(Albany Records) are one of the great independent labels that specialize in music by American composers,” said Wickman. “I was thrilled when they agreed to release this CD.”

Both Wickman and Phillips encompass the best of accomplished musicality and professionalism. Wickman’s work has been performed by several groups, including The Aspen Concert Orchestra, The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony, Zeitgeist, and The Avalon String Quartet. Wickman has received numerous awards and his music has been featured on two episodes of the PBS series Ancestors. As a classical composer, Wickman’s musical influences include Debussy, Rachmaninov, and Liszt. But, when considering aestheticism, his influences span greater distances.

“One could find traces of the romanticism of Barber, the meandering tonality of Franck, the rhythmic angularity of Stravinsky, and perhaps the harmonic layering of Messiaen. To say that the visceral energy of rock is not to be found anywhere on the CD would be misleading,” Wickman said Phillips, assistant professor and pianist, also has an impressive résumé. Performances involve recitals in Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, and New York as well as collaborations with the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra in Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto. Additionally, Phillips has given lectures and presentations at national and international conferences.

Portals and Passages features Wickman’s compositions between 2003 and 2010 and begins with the piece Invention for St. Vincent in the Mezquita, written while studying in Spain. Passages follows with its complex lyricism and harmony. Next, In Winter: Reverberations on a Theme begins with a lullaby written by Alfred Durham, Wickman’s great-grandfather. Inside the Hubble Toolbox finishes the album with four deeply entrancing movements.

Overall, the CD is highly ambitious, and represents some of Wickman’s most cherished works.

“Although I have written many more works for piano, these are the ones that make the best aesthetic marker for where I am today,” Wickman said. “There is at once lyricism and rhythmic vitality, and an exploration of many of the piano’s coloristic capabilities.”

Both Wickman and Phillips have found their niche in the UW-Eau Claire community and as creative collaborators. The partnering with Albany Records will only help them to receive the recognition they deserve for their crafts.

“I always loved the idea of creating sound worlds, and composing was the best outlet for that,” said Wickman. “I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to develop a creative voice, to have had wonderful teachers, and now to work with such supportive colleagues at UWEC.”

Portals and Passages may be purchased through The Local Store, Amazon, iTunes, and Albany Records.