Opus Klassik, Germany’s prestigious juried classical music prize, announced nominees for the 2023 awards, with two nominations for Metropolis Ensemble’s 2022 studio album, Telekinesis.

“Entering Telekinesis’ sound world, one feels like an explorer discovering a planet located at the far reaches of a distant galaxy… a journey that is at once exhilarating, terrifying and alienating.”

“A work that pursues not only the strangeness of electronic instruments and acoustic instruments, but also creates an environment where you can coexist in a place where you can feel organically.”

“I don't think there's a more exciting contemporary composer than Tyondai Braxton… The electroacoustic action ebbs and flows, clashing with operatic drama one moment before crocheting a finely-textured silence with Braxton's ominous electronics… The eighty-seven players at work crafted a tremendous sonic adventure.”

“Telekinesis has a unique tonal quality characterised by thrilling juxtapositions between electronic and acoustic sounds. An astonishing tour de force that gives new meaning to the word epic. Four stars.”

“This album has proved seriously addictive; its richly detailed timbre is impossible to resist… endlessly entertaining and beautifully put together.”

“A work that pursues not only the strangeness of electronic instruments and acoustic instruments, but also creates an environment where you can coexist in a place where you can feel organically.”

“A symphonic work that sounds like a lost sci-fi film soundtrack. It has the clustered, hovering awe of György Ligeti’s Atmosphères and the eerie arpeggiated angles of Hermann soundtracks like Vertigo and The Day The Earth Stood Still. It’s a hoot.”

“Fans of this electronic and orchestral specialist have been waiting for the next big statement. And here it is... Tyondai Braxton in full command of his art.”

“The coordination between these various forces and the electronics is superb… An ambitious and imaginative piece, Telekinesis is Braxton at his best.”

“Remarkable… the best kind of soundtrack: one with the power to cast whatever surroundings you find yourself in in a more interesting hue.”

Metropolis will be in residency at Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) state-of-the-art facilities in Troy, New York in 2021.