Relevant Tones

Legendary composer George Crumb created a unique, haunting sound   world that leaves an indelible impression upon anyone who hears it.  The   master turns 85 in October and we’ll celebrate with an entire show   dedicated to his music.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

George Crumb: Vox Balanae, I (excerpt) & finale

Crumb: “Se ha llenado de luces mi corazón de seda” from Ancient Voices of Children

Crumb: Nocturnal Sounds (The Awakening) fr. Makrokosmos III

Crumb: “Deep River” fr. The River of Life

Crumb: Tammy, Fritzi and Yoda fr. Mundis Canis

Crumb: Black Angels, III. Return

It takes fine craftsmanship to achieve a perfect partnership between   text and music in which neither element overshadows the other.  This   week, we’ll listen to a fascinating array of spoken word and music by   composers striving to achieve this symmetry.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

Scott Johnson: How it Happens (The Voice of I.F. Stone) (excerpt)

Aaron Jay Kernis: Goblin Market, Part II, Scenes 2 & 3

Martin Butler: The Tummy Beast fr. The Dirty Beasts

Joseph Schwantner: New Morning for the World (excerpt)

David Lang: On Being Hit on the Head and On Hearing the Voice of God fr. Are You Experienced?

Michael Daugherty: Sing Sing: J. Edgar Hoover

Lee Hyla: Howl

Originally a German musical creation, Wandelweiser is a kind of   extreme minimalism that is fast becoming popular with composers around   the world.  We talk with two of its creators, Jürg Frey and Eva-Maria  Houben, about the phenomenal growth of this movement.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

Jürg Frey: More or Less Normal

Frey: 60 Pieces of Sound (excerpt)

Eva-Maria Houben: Von da, nach da (excerpt)

Frey: Fragile Balance

Houben: Go and Stop (excerpt)

Special thanks to the co-organizers of the Chicago Wandelweiser Festival, Peter Margasak and Nomi Epstein.

Mystical Minimalist Arvo Pärt is one of the most significant  composers in the 20th and 21st centuries, and in this program we’ll  travel across the Baltic to Estonia to visit his musical homeland and  talk with those curating his music.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (rehearsal excerpt + concert performance)

Pärt: Für Alina

Pärt: Berliner Messe, Sanctus & Angus Dei

Pärt: Estonian Lullaby

Pärt: Vater Unser

Pärt: Adam’s Lament (excerpt)

The ultimate instrumental showcase, the concerto has inspired  composers to torture performers for hundreds of years, relentlessly  pushing their physical capabilities. Now that performers have virtually  no limits on their technique, how are composers innovating this storied  form?

Hosted by Seth Boustead

Kimmo Hakola: Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra, I (excerpt), IV

Daron Hagen: Concerto for Koto and Orchestra, I. Genji/Cicada Shell

Philip Glass (arr. Amy Dickson): Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, I

Mark O’Connor: The Improvised Violin Concerto, III. Water

Gabriel Prokofiev: Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra, II. Adagietto, Irreguluv

Kalevi Aho: Concerto for Theremin and Orchestra, Acht Jahreszeiten, III. Schwarzer Schnerr

Jennifer Higdon: Concerto for Orchestra, III

A big trend in the 2000’s saw contemporary music ensembles   commissioning composers not to write new pieces for them but to arrange   music by pop artists.

We’ll listen to music from two such collaborations: Alarm Will Sound  performing arrangements of electronic musician Aphex Twin and Osso  Quartet’s arrangements of indie pop superstar Sufjan Stevens.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

PLAYLIST

Sufjan Stevens (arr. Olivier Manchon): Year of the Snake

King Crimson (arr. Ziporyn): Epitaph

Philip Glass, Symphony No. 1, Low Symphony, I (excerpt)

Beck (arr. Kahane): Mutilation Rag 2:08

Kraftwerk: Pocket Calculator (excerpt)

Kraftwerk: Pocket Calculator

Sigur Rós (arr. Prutsman): Flugufrelsarinn

Queen/Tolga Kashif: The Queen Symphony, III (Who Wants to Live Forever, Save Me)

Aphex Twin: Logon Rock Witch (excerpt)

Aphex Twin (arr. Jonathan Newman): Logon Rock Witch

Part II of our field trip to Finland features more interviews and   performances of music by leading and emerging composers from this   incredible musical hotbed.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

Magnus Lindberg: Kraft (excerpt)

Sebastian Fagerlund: Isola, II

Juhani Nuorvala: Toivo

Matthew Whithall: the heaven that dwells so deep (Concerto for Viola and Orchestra) (excerpt)

Antti Auvinen: Orior (excerpt)

Einojuhani Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus- Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, III

The latest installment of In the Field brings us to a country that  has  exported a dizzying list of big name composers and conductors in  the  last couple of decades: Finland.

We’ll talk with established composers  and rising stars about their music and the lasting influence of the  Sibelius Academy.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

Kaija Saariaho: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Notes on Light, I (excerpt)

Kalevi Aho: Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra, II (Presto)

Esa-Pekka Salonen: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, III (Pulse II)

Lotta Wennäkoski: Love and Life of a Woman (excerpts)

Osmo Tapio Räihälä: Barlinnie Nine (excerpt)

Tomi Räisänen: Stheno

Kaija Saariaho: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra, Notes on Light, V

For many years the composer-in-residence with the NY Philharmonic, Christopher Rouse combines neoromanticism with hard driving, rock-inspired rhythms to create a fascinating musical style all his own.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

Christopher Rouse: Iscariot

Rouse: Phaethon

Rouse: Symphony No. 4

The Contemporary Music Centre in Ireland is one of the world’s   foremost models of government support for composers, with dozens of   composers receiving financial support, commissions and travel grants. We   plunge into the incredible wealth of music created by this program.

Hosted by Seth Boustead

PLAYLIST

Eric Sweeney: Ceol Rince Ros Mhic Treoin (New Ross Dance Music)

Stephen Gardner: The Mayfly

Jane O’Leary: Reflections II

Karen Power: Relocating Elk … By Train

Adam Melvin: Little Engines

Seán Clancy: Changing Rates of Change