Encore for Cohen

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Evening Music concludes its nostalgic exploration of the most dynamic and compelling programming of the past year, the BEST OF Festival, with the triumphant return of legendary singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen. After a fifteen year hiatus from performing in the US, Cohen chose New York's Beacon Theatre last February for a concert of songs that have bewitched audiences for decades. At age 74, it doesn't seem that the demand for Cohen's music is stopping anytime soon…

Music Playlists

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Orpheus Redux

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Evening Music's BEST OF Festival continues with selections from live performances of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra from Carnegie Hall. Host David Garland shares his favorite moments from these five concerts, showing this premiere ensemble's incredible range of repertoire and versatility with music from Joseph Haydn to Ravi Shankar. Also, we hear commissioned works for Orpheus, the New Brandenburg Commissions, from composers Melinda Wagner and Christopher Theofanidis.

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Easy Being Greene

Friday, August 28, 2009

Evening Music's BEST OF Festival continues with host David Garland sharing some of his favorite moments during the past three Live from the Green Space broadcasts from WNYC's new street-level performance space. We’ll sample pieces from the 4-hour Evening Music opening of the Greene Space, the world premieres of the New Americans Commissions as part of the annual American Music Festival, and the musical legends from past and present of WNYC’s 85th birthday bash. Musicians include Brooklyn Rider, Nico Muhly, John Zorn, Ute Lemper, Dafnis Prieto, among many many more.

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The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Welcome Home Tully

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Evening Music's BEST OF Festival continues with the Alice Tully Hall Live Reopening Night. We have hosts Terrance McKnight and American Public Media's Fred Child discussing their reactions to the renovated hall and its famed acoustics, while we hear backstage interviews with some of the many performers in an evening of unparalleled diversity. The concert ranges from 15th-century Sephardic music to works by Bach and Golijov, performers include Jordi Savall, soprano Montserrat Figueras, pianist Leon Fleisher, cellist Maya Beiser, the Brentano String Quartet, members of The Chamber Music Society, and conductor David Robertson leading the Juilliard Orchestra.

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The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Carter @ 100 and 1/2

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Next in Evening Music's BEST OF Festival we celebrate Elliott Carter @ 100… again! This centenarian continues to be a major musical presence, and tonight, Overnight Music host and contemporary music performer Nadia Sirota looks back on her conversation in December with Terrance McKnight about the development of Carter's innovative composing techniques over the last century. Also, listen to cellist Fred Sherry and pianist Carol Archer perform the premiere of Elegy, a piece for cello and piano that was dedicated to Sherry by Carter himself.

Music Playlists

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The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Legendary Lenny

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Evening Music's BEST OF Festival continues, as we look at Our Lenny's American Songbook- a tribute to Lenny’s music for theater. Tonight, we hear performances recorded during a session co-hosted by Terrance McKnight and Jonathan Schwartz from a variety of Broadway luminaries who were deeply influenced by Lenny, including Marni Nixon, Liz Callaway, Stephan Bogardus, Judy Blazer and Alex Rybeck.

BEST OF Kickoff

Monday, August 24, 2009

This day marks the kickoff to Evening Music's BEST OF Festival, as we celebrate the best in music programming from the past year. To begin the celebration, we have the Charles Tolliver Orchestra’s 50th anniversary recreation of Thelonious Monk's historic performance at Town Hall. We’ll hear Terrance McKnight in conversation with Duke University Jazz Loft director Sam Stephenson during the concert and our special guest host, Nadia Sirota will let us know what’s in store for the rest of the week. Also tonight, music by Osvaldo Golijov and Christopher Theofanidis.

Siwan

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Add an exceptional Norwegian composer to a Moroccan vocalist, and what do you get? A transcultural album titled Siwan, inspired by the idea of religious and spiritual tolerance. Composer Jon Balke and his singer-muse, Amina Alaoui, have combined elements of Baroque-style music as well as of jazz rhythms from different musical traditions. If this weren't already unique enough, Alaoui sings texts from Sufi poets, Christian mystics, and troubadours- and the result is a energetic mix of styles and sounds. Tonight we hear selections from Siwan and also music of Frank Martin and Pierre Henry.

Bolling You Over

Saturday, August 22, 2009

There are few musical careers as impressive as Claude Bolling’s. Born in Cannes in 1930, Bolling was already performing professionally by age 16, and was soon accepted by all major jazz circles in France and beyond. He collaborated with countless American swing-bop bands and other jazz legends, and even Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were admirers. Always fascinated with the idea of mixing genres, Bolling's perhaps biggest legacy is his film and television scores, which number over one hundred. Tonight, we hear Africane from his Concerto for Guitar and Jazz Piano Trio, as well as the final installment of the series, Concerts from the Frick Collection featuring Baroque ensemble Tempesta di Mare.

Music Playlists

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Oud-inary People

Friday, August 21, 2009

Composer Simon Shaheen has lived in New York City for nearly 30 years. He’s not only an influential composer and innovator, but has also made his name as a virtuoso oud player, a lute-like instrument from the Middle East that he has played since he was five years old. His deep connection to this instrument was the inspiration behind Fantasie for Oud and String Quartet, which we hear tonight. Hear his story in his own words as part of WNYC’s The New Americans. Also, music of Gabriel Faure, Tiziano Bedetti, and John Cage.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

SO Brooklyn

Thursday, August 20, 2009

One of the most exciting percussion groups to hit the scene is So Percussion, a dynamic quartet that has been appealing to a wide public since 1999. These guys have the formula down to a science: instantly compelling music plus edgy innovation equals fresh new sound. Based in Brooklyn, So Percussion will perform anything from standard selections to their original compositions, often including exotic and unusual instruments. One member of the group, Jason Treuting, wrote the music for their album Amid the Noise, and tonight we'll be hearing March. Also, music from Jean Sibelius and Edward MacDowell.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

All in the Family

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis comes from an impressive family tree: his father was a businessman and social activist, while four of his six sons are also musicians, including trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. Recording over twenty albums and considered one of the great jazz pianists of all time, Ellis has influenced countless other musicians and students, and was even inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Tonight we hear him performing his own Zee Blues. Also, music of Gunther Schuller and Stephen Sondheim.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

East Meets West

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Composer Evan Ziporyn continues to prove that when Eastern and Western traditions merge, great things happen. After studying clarinet and other instruments, he received a Fulbright fellowship to Indonesia, where began his love affair with Balinese gamelan instruments. Ziporyn soon became artistic director of Gamelan Galak Tika at MIT and also a founding member of the Bang on a Can All Stars. Tonight, we hear his The Ornate Zither and the Nomad Flute and you can also check out video and audio from the world premiere of Ziporyn's new opera, A House in Bali. Also music of George Gershwin and Aaron Jay Kernis.

Music Playlists

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The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Oratorio Designer

Monday, August 17, 2009

Mark Grey knew he was on to something when he co-founded the Gas Chamber Orchestra with three other friends at San Jose State University. Performing with ampliflied utensils and an improvisatory spirit, Grey developed a cutting edge attitude about music, and went on to collaborate with other composers like John Adams. Tonight, we hear selections from his beautiful and powerful Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio, based on a mythical tale of twin warrior brothers trying to keep the world safe, and the ceremony they perform to cleanse victims of the horrors of violence. Also music of Franz Liszt and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Music Playlists

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The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Uakti

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Not only did Marco Antonio Guimaraes design and create his own instruments, but he convinced his friends and colleagues to play them and form a group called Uakti, after a mythological musician from the Amazon. This Brazilian instrumental group plays custom made instruments, which contributes to their unique sound and identity. Tonight, we hear Lake, characterized by strong rhythm and passionate melodies written by Guimaraes. Also music from David Lang, Ralph Vaughn Williams and Osvaldo Golijov.

Music Playlists

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Taylor's Talents

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s training and interests spanned everything from jazz, tap, pop and classical to ballet, film and television. He played in the senior orchestra for three years, wrote compositions for the jazz band, led a small choral group and began conducting all while in high school. He went on to write a great deal of classical music, as well as arrangements for artists such as Marvin Gaye and Harry Belafonte and even did some composing and conducting for films. Tonight we hear his Grass: Poem for Piano, Strings and Percussion. Also, music from J.S. Bach and Edgar Meyer, as well as the next installment of the series, Concerts from the Frick Collection with special guest host Helga Davis, featuring Alexandre Tharaud playing Rameau and Chopin.

Music Playlists

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Bessie's Blues

Friday, August 14, 2009

Following the death of both of her parents, Bessie Smith and her brothers and sisters were left in the care of her older sister. In order to make money, she and her brother would perform on the streets. By the early 1920s, her career had kicked off as she performed in black theaters all along the east coast, becoming the biggest headliner on the Theater Owners Booking Association circuit and the highest-paid African American entertainer of her day. Unfortunately her career was cut short by a car accident that resulted in her death at age 43. Tonight we hear her sing George Brooks’s Hard Driving Papa. Also, music from Scott Joplin and Kenji Bunch.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Circle of Friends

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Some people are never tied to just one circle of friends. It's just not their style. For Kevin Volans, the South-African born Irish resident, collaborating with novelists, choreographers, and visual artists is the norm. With influences ranging from African traditional music to “New Simplicity” (a kind of throwback to simpler times in the European classical tradition) Volans doesn't even try to fit into just one crowd. Tonight we hear his Mbira, a piece which reflects his South-African roots. Also music from Al Stillman, Jason Moran and Joel Harrison

Bell Tower Baby

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Bohuslav Martinu was born into music. Literally. He was born in a bell tower where his father worked as a watchman. Five years later he gave his first public concert and soon thereafter enrolled at the Prague Conservatory. However, his time there was short lived as he was dismissed for "incorrigible negligence." Fleeing the German invasion of France, he moved to the United States where he wrote the first five of his six symphonies over only four years. At the end of his career, Martinu had written nearly 400 pieces. Tonight we hear his Tri lyricke skladby, H. 98 (Three Lyric Pieces) for piano. Also, music from Zoltan Kodaly and Witold Lutoslawski.

Music Playlists

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Lapis Lazuli

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Carolyn Yarnell had a rather unusual childhood after being abandoned by her mother and growing up in the Sierras. She went on to study at the San Francisco Conservatory and to this day she has never held a conventional job. Instead, she makes her living from commissions, awards, fellowships and good fortune among other endeavors, one of which is the Common Sense Composers Collective, a collective of eight composers geared toward exploring new ways to create and present music. Tonight we hear her Lapis Lazuli. Also, music from David Lang, Igor Stravinsky and Gavin Bryars.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Elgar's Dream

Monday, August 10, 2009

English composer Edward Elgar is known for his Pomp and Circumstance Marches, one of which (March No. 1) can be heard at nearly every graduation ceremony. However, the piece that has come to be known as his greatest is The Dream of Gerontius. Inspired by a poem by Cardinal Newman, it tells of a soul’s journey from death, to judgment and onto Purgatory. The work is regarded by many to be one of the finest examples of English choral music form any era. Tonight, as part of Evening Music’s Choral Fixation series, we hear the first part of the highly celebrated The Dream of Gerontius. Also music from Osvaldo Golijov and Jacob TV.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Birdsong

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Olivier Messiaen found inspiration in everything from a simple landscape to the colors he associated with particular harmonies. However, a lot of his insight came from the birds. He believed that birds were the greatest musicians on Earth and went on to notate birdsongs and even incorporate them into his music. Taking inspiration from colors, birds and his deep faith, Messiaen has created a musical style that is his alone. Tonight we hear his Couleurs de la Cité Céleste (Colors of the Celestial City). Also music from Lisa Bielawa and Esa-Pekka Salonen. We also conclude our Mozart in Full Voice festival with his Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165 (Rejoice, shout) conducted by Leonard Bernstein.

Music Playlists

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Riley Nights

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Terry Riley worked with fellow minimalists Philip Glass and Steve Reich in the experimental San Francisco Tape Music Center. One of Riley’s most famous projects was his All-Night Concerts wherein he improvised music from evening until sunrise using an old organ harmonium and tape-delayed saxophone. He put these concerts on for several years, as people would come out with sleeping bags and hammocks to hear him. Tonight we hear excerpts from his Salome Dances for Peace. We also continue our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring pieces from Die Entführung aus dem Serail, K. 384 (The Abduction from the Seraglio), as well as the next installment of the series, Concerts from the Frick Collection with special guest host Helga Davis, featuring the Geringas Baryton Trio playing Rossini, Paganini and Haydn.

Music Playlists

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Steiner Scores

Friday, August 07, 2009

Max Steiner was an award-winning composer known for his scores for theater and film. His list of works include music for Gone with the Wind, Anne of Green Gables, Casablanca and his extremely popular theme song for A Summer Place. He was the most prominent composer in the music department at Warner Bros for a large portion of his career, scoring hundreds of Hollywood films. Throughout his career, he received 26 Academy Award nominations. Tonight, as we feature Humphrey Bogart for our Movies on the Radio series, we hear Steiner’s Casablanca Theme and a piece from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Also, music from George Gershwin and Patrick Burke, as well as the next installment in our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring pieces from his Cosi fan tutte, K. 588 (Thus do they all).

Music Playlists

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The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Nature's Music

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Tan Dun first became interested in music when he saw rituals and ceremonies set to the sounds of natural objects such as rocks and water. This thinking would forever influence his style, as he went on to use instruments such as amplified bowls of water in his Water Passion After St. Matthew and paper in his, appropriately titled, Paper Concerto. However, he is most known for his award winning scores for the movies Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Tonight we hear selections from Hero. Also, music from Felix Mendelssohn and Bela Fleck, as well as the next installment in our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring tenor Peter Pears and arias for male voice.

Music Playlists

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The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Stalking Adams

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

John Adams has been the recipient of as much acclamation as criticism, even reporting in 2008 that he was blacklisted and being followed. The heavily political subject matter in his operas has brought forth much protest and outcry throughout his career. In spite of the negativity though, he still won a Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for his piece On the Transmigration of Souls, written in commemoration of 9/11 victims. Adams is also the artist-in-residence for this year’s Mostly Mozart festival. Tonight we hear his Fearful Symmetries. Also, music from Lukas Ligeti and Julia Wolfe, as well as the next installment in our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring excerpts from his Vespers.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Melodious Thunk

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Thelonious Monk is often regarded as a founder of bebop and one of the most important musicians in jazz. His compositions distinguished him from other composers and pianists as he made use of abrupt and dramatic silences and hesitations and combined them with a percussive attack. His wife nicknamed this unconventional playing style “Melodious Thunk.” He is one of only five jazz musicians to make the cover of Time magazine. Tonight we hear his Ruby My Dear. Also, music from Iva Bittova and Giya Kancheli, as well as the next installment in our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring pieces from Zaide, K. 344 and La Finta Giardiniera, K. 196 (The Pretend Garden-Girl).

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Crafty Composing

Monday, August 03, 2009

Oliver Knussen, born into a musical family, began composing at age six. When the conductor for his symphony’s premiere fell ill, he stepped in to conduct the debut - he was fifteen. His career was jumpstarted from that point on, being asked to conduct in New York just a week later. Knussen defined himself as a composer by the artfulness and craftsmanship that goes into his compositions, and still the effortless and enjoyable sound that comes out in performance. Tonight we hear his Horn Concerto. Also, music from Peter Askim and Mary Ellen Childs, as well as the next installment in our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring pieces from Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro).

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

The first hour of Evening Music is available for streaming soon after 8pm.

Riotous Igor

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Igor Stravinksy has been hailed as one of the most important and influential composers of 20th century music, as well as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the Century by Time magazine. He established himself early in his career with his three ballets, specifically The Rite of Spring which laid the groundwork for his reputation as a musical revolutionary. Tonight we hear his Dumbarton Oaks Concerto in E-flat. Also, music from Charles Ives and Samuel Barber, as well as the next installment in our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring excerpts from Eine kleine deutsche Kantate, K. 619 (A Little German Cantata) with the late mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.

SEA of Music

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu, in the absence of musical training for the most part, got his influences from jazz, popular music, avant-garde procedures and traditional Japanese music. Throughout his career, his music underwent many stylistic developments, especially in the realm of tonality – one experiment consisting of a piece centered around a three-note ascending motive, E-flat-E-A, which spells the word SEA in German musical notation. Many of his works were given names that reference water, including the piece we hear tonight, Toward the Sea II. We also continue our Mozart in Full Voice festival featuring pieces from Idomeneo, K. 366 and II Re Pastore, K. 208 (The Shepherd King), as well as the next installment of the series, Concerts from the Frick Collection with special guest host Helga Davis, featuring Byron Schenkman playing Mendelssohn and Haydn.

Music Playlists

View WNYC's music playlists dating back to 2001 (full playlists are generally posted the day after broadcast). For playlist inquiries, please contact Listener Services via email or at 646-829-4000.