The rage for spiritual music has never really ceased since the likes of Arvo Part and Henryk Gorecki became widely popular during the 1990s. This episode of New Sounds looks at more unusual, off-the-beaten-path treatments of spiritual texts. Featured is the New York based singer/composer Christine Baczewska, whose 2001 CD The X Factor is utterly personal and yet grounded in timeless mythology. Jose Maceda is a specialist in both Indonesian and Filipino music and has created a hypnotic, large-scale mass, Pagsamba, for gongs, voices and bamboos. And the Italian progressive rock superstar Franco Battiato is represented by one of his most compelling achievements, the Missa Archaica for voices, piano, chamber ensemble, and orchestra, a work which resembles music by Arvo Part and Brian Eno.

Selections:
Jose Maceda: Agnus and Kyrie from Pagsamba (Mass); Christine Baczewska: See How She Sorrows (Stabat Mater); Franco Battiato: Missa Archaica.

PROGRAM #1999, unusual treatments of sacred texts (First aired on Thurs, 1/24/02)

ARTIST(S)	RECORDING	CUT(S)	SOURCE
Jose Maceda	Gongs and Bamboo	Pagsamba: Agnus Dei [3:30], Gloria [5:30], Sanctus [2:30]	Tzadik #7067** www.tzadik.com
Christine Baczewksa	The X Factor	See How She Sorrows [19:30]	Pariah Music Project, available from www.harvestworks.org or www.wigged.net
Franco Battiato	Shadow, Light	Messa Arcaica: Kyrie [14:00] Gloria, excerpt [2:00]	EMI/Hemisphere #37234. Amazon.com has "limited availability"; CDNow.com offers a recording of just the Messa Arcaica as an Italian import. *

*Internet sources include www.cdnow.com, www.amazon.com, and the Public Radio Music Source, a buying service for recordings. www.75music.org

**In most better stores; in NY, try J&R on Park Row, Tower Records, Virgin megastore at Times Square, HMV, Other Music on 3^rd St., etc.