Hailed by The New York Times as “ravishing and engulfing” and named a 2022 “Rising Star” by BBC Music Magazine, Gity Razaz’s music ranges from concert solo pieces to large symphonic works.
On May 22, 2026, the Grossman Ensemble will premiere Razaz's latest composition, The Angel of All Mortal Things. Learn more about Razaz's new piece and experience working with the Grossman Ensemble below!
Tell us about your piece, The Angel of All Mortal Things. Where does this title come from, and what inspired your piece?
The piece was inspired by the more unsettling depictions of angels in religious texts and mystical literature — not gentle, human-like figures, but overwhelming beings associated with fire, terror, and transformation. I became interested in the tension between the divine and the deeply mortal: how encounters with something transcendent can also heighten our awareness of fragility and impermanence.
The title reflects that idea. I imagined the angel less as a protector and more as a witness moving through a world of vulnerable human things.
What can audiences expect to hear?
There are moments of extreme delicacy alongside dense, volatile textures. I wanted the ensemble to feel constantly in flux, as though the music is continuously changing shape.
Do you have a favorite moment in the piece that we should listen for?
I would encourage the audience to listen for a melodic cycle that repeats 5 times. It starts in the piano and extends to harp and vibraphone, before getting sonically “crushed” and disintegrated by low, sustained dissonant chords in the lower instruments. There’s also a moment in the piece where the texture suddenly thins out after a long buildup, leaving only fragile, exposed harmonics in the strings and small residual echoes in the ensemble. For me, that feels like the emotional center of the work.
When you heard the Grossman Ensemble perform your work for the first time, were there any moments that surprised you or uncovered a new layer of the piece?
Absolutely. Some textures that felt abstract while composing suddenly became very physical and visceral in performance. The ensemble also revealed details of resonance, balance, and silence that I couldn’t fully imagine while writing.
Certain fragile moments ended up feeling far more emotional in the room than I expected.
How has The Angel of All Mortals Things evolved over the course of the Grossman Ensemble’s workshop process?
The workshops helped refine the piece considerably. Hearing the musicians experiment with the material clarified which textures needed to be simplified, expanded, or pushed further.
The process also changed my sense of pacing and taught me to trust the quieter, more vulnerable moments of the piece more fully.
What is a recent book you've read that you'd recommend?
Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jauoad.
When you're not composing, what do you like to do in your free time?
I like to draw, make collages, and cook.