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Evening Music

Saturday, September 01, 2007
  • Ricky Ian Gordon
    Ricky Ian Gordon (Duncan Hannah)

    Spotlight on: Ricky Ian Gordon

    The New York Times describes Ricky Ian Gordon's infectious and deeply moving music as "caviar for a world gorging on pizza." The composer talks about and plays excerpts from his hugely successful operatic version of John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath." Also, Mode Records director Brian Brandt talks about his long and fruitful association with composer John Cage.

    24:33 on WNYC2: A John Cage Festival

Ricky Ian Gordon  (Photo Credit: Duncan Hannah)

Ricky Ian Gordon

The modern-day successor to Leonard Bernstein and Steven Sondheim, composer Ricky Ian Gordon's music has been performed by singers including Renee Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Audra MacDonald, and Kristin Chenoweth. His opera with librettist Michael Korie, "The Grapes of Wrath," based on Steinbeck's novel, recently premiered in Minnesota to universal acclaim, with subsequent performances at the Utah Opera. In reviewing the opera's premiere, Los Angeles Times critic Mark Swed wrote that Gordon's "great achievement is to merge Broadway and opera... and it is greatly enhanced by his firm control over ensembles and his sheer love for the operatic voice."

view a short video documentary about "The Grapes of Wrath"

Brian Brandt

Brian Brandt

Mode Records director Brian Brandt talks about his experiences in producing John Cage's music, with a description of Cage and Merce Cunningham's 6th avenue loft.

John Cage's discography at Mode Records

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69th American Music Festival: American Blend

May 21-22, at 7pm; May 23-24 at 8pm; May 25-27 at 7pm

Hosts Terrance McKnight and David Garland will curate and host a weeklong festival with special guests and rare recordings, concluding with live performances in WNYC's Jerome L. Greene Performance Space by Dafnis Prieto, Paola Prestini, Ezequiel Vinao and Yungchen Lhamo May 27.

globalFEST 2009

Listen on Demand

On January 11th, WNYC and NPR Music presented a live webcast of globalFEST 2009, the annual showcase that provides a "sneak peek" of global musicians on the verge of international fame.

Wordless Music

Concerts on Demand

WNYC presents web-exclusive concerts from the Wordless Music Series, hosted by Radio Lab's Jad Abumrad. Devoted to the desegregation of musical boundaries, Wordless Music pairs rock and electronic musicians with more traditional chamber and new music performers, to create an entirely new concert experience.

Deerhoof/Metropolis Ensemble

Live Webcast

WNYC and NPR Music team up to bring you this live webcast from the Prospect Park Bandshell, which pairs indie rock sensation Deerhoof with the progressive Metropolis Ensemble. Presented by Celebrate Brooklyn! and Wordless Music, and hosted by David Garland, the program features an ambitious re-imagining of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, The Rite: Remixed.