Relevant Tones

By Access Contemporary MusicMusic Music Interviews

Relevant Tones episodes

July 28, 2012 Bang on a Can at 25 Part 3
Join us this week for the third part of our foray into the Bang on a Can Marathons. We’ll be focusing on Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe, two of the co-founders of the Bang on a Can organization.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Gordon: Timber, Mvt. 1 (excerpt), Slagwerk Den Haag
Gordon: For Madeline, Bang on a Can All-Stars
Wolfe: Lad, Part I From Dark Full Ride, Matthew Welch (Bagpipe)
Wolfe: Dig Deep, Ethel
Frank Zappa: Zombie Woof, Asphalt Orchestra
59 min
July 14, 2012 Bang on a Can at 25 Part 1
Seth brings back his findings and experiences from the Bang on a Can Marathon in New York City. The Bang on a Can Marathon is a yearly celebration of new musical styles and ideas, designed to bring diverse performances to a wide public audience.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Louis Andriessen: De Staat (excerpt), Bang on a Can All-Stars

Milton Babbitt: Vision and Prayer (excerpt), Bethany Beardslee, soprano

Steve Reich: Four Organs (excerpt),
Steve Chambers, Phillip Glass, Arthur Murphy, Steve Reich, organs, John Gibson, Maracas

Martin Bresnick: String Quartet No. 2 “Bucephalus”, Mvt. III, Alexander String Quartet

Martin Bresnick: Prayers Remain Forever, (Ashley Bathgate, cello and Lisa Moore, Piano)

Ruben Naeff: Bash

David T. Little: Sweet, Light, Crude, Newspeak
59 min
July 07, 2012 Spectral Music
This week on Relevant Tones, we’ll delve into the music of Gerard Grisey and Tristan Murail, two composers who base their compositions on mathematic spectral analyses of the overtone series. Grisey and Murail’s compositions originated the style of Spectral Music.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Gerard Grisey: Partiels (excerpt), WDR Sinfonieorchester of Cologne; Stefan Asbury
Gerard Grisey: Talea (excerpt), Ensemble RechercheAbout Ensemble Recherche
Gerard Grisey: Vortex Temporum (excerpt), Ensemble Recherche
Tristan Murail: In Memoriam, Olivier Messiaen (excerpt), Marilyn Nonken, Piano
Tristan Murail: Gondwana (excerpt), ORTF National Orchestra; Yves Prin
Tristan Murail: Winter Fragments (excerpt), Argento Chamber Ensemble
59 min
July 01, 2012 Lincoln Trio Live Performance
This week, we’ll be broadcasting a live performance of the Lincoln Trio, a Chicago-based ensemble featuring Desirée Ruhstrat on violin, David Cunliffe on cello, and Marta Aznavoorian on piano.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Stacy Garrop: Silver Dagger
Lera Auerbach: Trio, for violin, cello, and piano; Prelude
Laura Elise Schwendinger: C’e La Lune Questa Sera
Jennifer Higdon: Piano Trio
Pierre Jalbert: Life Cycle
59 min
June 24, 2012 Pierre Boulez Notations
In his Notations, Pierre Boulez composed twelve short piano miniatures that contain a cosmos of sound and potentiality. After decades at the helm of the avant-garde, Boulez has set to work unlocking those inner possibilities through thoughtful orchestration and elaboration.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Olivier Messaien: Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jésus, Mvt. II, Peter Serkin, Piano
Anton Von Webern: Variations for Piano, Op. 27, Mvt. III, Peter Serkin, Piano
Pierre Boulez: Twelve Notations for Piano, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Piano
Luigi Nono: Il Canto Sospeso
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Klavierstücke, Mvt. III,Herbert Henk, Piano
Boulez: Notations for Orchestra, I-IV Vienna Philharmonic; Claudio Abbado, conductor
Boulez: Notations for Orchestra, IV, VIILyon National Orchestra; David Robertson, conductor
59 min
June 21, 2012 Bang on a Can at 25 Part 2
During this week’s Relevant Tones, Seth Boustead continues to share more music and interviews from the Bang on a Can Marathon 2012.

Part II features composers Evan Ziporyn and David Lang, two galvanizing forces in the Bang on a Can Marathons.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Evan Ziporyn: Tire Fire, Mvts. 1, 4, 5, Gamelan Galak Tika
Evan Ziporyn: Music from Shadowbang, Bang on a Can All-Stars
David Lang: Cheating, Lying, Stealing, Bang on a Can All-Stars
David Lang: Little Matchgirl Passion (excerpt), Theatre of Voices
59 min
June 17, 2012 Weekly Readings
Starting in 2004 Access Contemporary Music has read and recorded a piece of music by a living composer every week and posted it to their website. We sample just a few of the highlights from the past eight years of this remarkable program.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Malcolm Dedman: Dispelling the Darkness, Chie Yoshinaka, violin
Bryan Page: Kick the Duck, Richard Sladek, piano
Javier Torres Maldonado: Reflejo Espiral, Alicia Poot, flute, Matthew Peters, percussion
Ioannis Papaspyrou: Will McDaniel, pno, Cory Tiffin, cl, Eliza Bangert, fl, Dave Moss, vla
Silvia Simons: String Quartet, Eric Pidluski, vln, Sarah Cave, vln, Jules Lai, vla, Chai Wolfman, vc
Mark Zanter: Seven Trio, Aurelian Pederzolil, vln, Becca Wilcox, vla, David Keller, vc
Emil Margolis: String Quartet No.I, Mvmt. IChicago Q Ensemble
Aaron Alon: Spell, Jeff Yang, Violin, Alyson Berger, Cello, Dan Klingler, Cello
59 min
June 10, 2012 Classical Remixes
This week, we’ll listen to how composers are using samples and remixes of recordings to generate an entirely new sound palette.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Luciano Berio: Sinfonia for Eight Voices and Orchestra – excerpt
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/ChaillyLuciano Berio

John Matthias/Nick Ryan: Cortical Songs
John Matthias and Nick Ryan

Thom Yorke: Neuron Trigger
RemixThom Yorke

Jem Finer: The Squid’s Terror of Dry Land

Graham Reynolds: The Difference Engine- The Cogwheel Brain
Octopus Project: The Cogwheel Brain (remix) The Octopus Project

Tansy Davies: Greenhouses

Mira Calix: Greenhouses (remix) – excerpt

Mercury Acoustic: Last Orders, The Mercury Quartet

Monsieur Morphée: Last Orders (remix)
57 min
June 02, 2012 Douglas Cuomo and Arjuna's Dilemma
Based on the Bhagavad Gita, a Sanskrit text that delves into the discussion between the divine Krishna and earthbound Arjuna, Douglas Cuomo’s Arjuna’s Dilemma draws from both Indian and western musical traditions to create a compelling musical drama. Cuomo joins Seth in the studio to talk about his composition.
Hosted by Seth Boustead
Produced by Jesse McQuarters
Scene 1, The Dilemma
Gathering Forces
My Limbs Fail
Oh Krishna

Scene 2, The Answer
My Head Turns
The Answer Part I
The Answer Part II
My Head Turns (reprise)
The Answer Part III

Scene 3, The Vision
I am the Beginning
The Vision
I am death
Four-armed form
Epilogue: I will fight
Postlude
1 hr
May 29, 2012 Chicago Composers Orchestra
Seth talks with the founders of the Chicago Composers Orchestra about their work and mission and upcoming U.S. premiere of Chen Yi’s viola concerto. All pieces conducted by Matthew Kaspar.
Brian Baxter: Roots Run Deep
Randall West: Elements for Orchestra
Chen Yi: Xian Shi (Concerto for Viola and Orchestra), Michael Hall, viola
52 min