Bang On A Can Marathon 2007, Extras

Sunday, August 30, 2009

From the 2007 Bang on a Can Marathon recorded live at the World Financial Center, hear David M Gordon's "Friction Systems," along with Marcello Zarvos' work "Arrival and Memory" on this edition of New Sounds. There's also instrumental music by indie-rockers Yo La Tengo and underground rapper/DJs Dalek. Plus, the Bang On A Can All-Stars play Brian Eno.

Silence, Night and Dreams

Saturday, August 29, 2009

On this New Sounds, listen to the latest work by Zbigniew Preisner called "Silence, Night and Dreams," featuring Madredeus singer Teresa Salgueiro. It's a large-scale work for orchestra, choir and soloists, based on texts from the Book of Job and the gospel of Matthew, as well as words by Pope John Paul II and the Polish poet Zbigniew Herbert. Also, there's Portuguese fado-infused music by Madredeus, which also dips into Argentine tango and even Europop electronica. And more.

Relentless Minimalism

Friday, August 28, 2009

This New Sounds program hails the return of the long out-of-print KMH: Music in the Continuous Mode, a remarkable blend of technical virtuosity and relentless minimalism from the Ukrainian/Canadian composer Lubomyr Melnyk. Melnyk's music is dramatic enough for the stage yet meditative enough for deep listening, an approach he developed while working with dancer/choreographer Carolyn Carlson in Paris during the 1970's. Somehow lush and full, his pianistic minimalism is executed at a speed that suggests multiple pianos playing together in harmony. Also on the show, Philip Glass's musical portrait of Chuck Close, and other keyboard works.

Words and Music

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Music that mixes instrumentals with both sung and spoken text is what we'll hear on this New Sounds program. Listen to the latest from saxophonist and rabbi Greg Wall’s Later Prophets, "Ha’Orot." It combines the spiritual writings of Hebrew poet Rabbi Avraham Itzchak HaCohen Kook with Wall's blend of traditional Jewish folk and jazz. All that and more.

Flowering Youth

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Listen to music by relative whippersnappers, as we serve up youth on this New Sounds program. We'll hear from Australian composer William Gardiner, just 21, who lives in Sydney. His music, from a release called "Onliving," has a minimalist/post-minimalist/post-rock feel. Also, listen to something from "Speaks Volumes" by the New York-based Nico Muhly, who's worked with Philip Glass and Bjork, to name a few. There's also music from Dominic Frasca and Rich O'Meara.

Balkan Voices

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, a mid-80s recording, introduced the wider world to the plaintive, haunting sounds of Balkan singing. We’ll hear that original recording, and hear its influence in the music of Belgian composer Nicholas Lens and the English rocker Kate Bush. Then we'll listen to some Bulgarian (and some Macedonian) music sung by Brooklyn's Balkan vocal quartet, Black Sea Hotel. Plus, something from world music jesters 3 Mustaphas 3, and more.

New Music for Guitar

Monday, August 24, 2009

Listen to music for guitars, acoustic and electric, and sometimes both on this New Sounds, including a bit from guitarist Andy Bole from a reissue of his 1984 “Ramshackle Pier.” Bole is a fret-whiz, adeptly handling bouzouki, mandolin, and Weissenborn acoustic slide guitar with the greatest of ease. Also, we’ll hear Stewart Wallace’s - “Blind Woman Hashkiveinu,” a bit from a larger piece called “Skvera for Electric Guitar and Orchestra,” which takes a refrain from the Hashkiveinu and repeats it over and over again, each time more aggressively. Written for the guitarist Marc Ribot, the work was inspired by a trip to Skvera, the shtetl Wallace’s grandparents left at the time of the Russian revolution to come to America. Plus, music from guitarist/composer Michael Nicolella’s release “Shard” and more.

Female Voice And Ensemble

Sunday, August 23, 2009

For this New Sounds, hear some works for classical ensembles and the female voice. Listen to music from Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin and her surprise hit "Wild Swans," along with music by Ragnar Grippe. Also, there's the first large scale work not written for film by Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner, called "Requiem for My Friend." Music from the Kronos Quartet and David Lang round out the show.

25 Years and Counting

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Laurie Anderson's unique and original "Big Science," a blend of smart sung-spoken lyrics and unsettling textures of music, came out of nowhere in 1982, with its skewed pop and minimalist themes teasing at the surreal and absurd. "The sounds of 'Big Science' are stark and asymmetrical, but they’re also often bizarrely hypnotic." (Pop Matters.com) And let's not forget the vocoder on Anderson's voice. Also, wouldn't you know it, it was September 3, 1982 that New Sounds first went on the air. For this New Sounds program, Laurie Anderson and John Schaefer celebrate the milestone together.

Unusual Lead Instruments

Friday, August 21, 2009

For this New Sounds, hear from a parade of instruments you might never have expected to be front and center. Listen to music from composer and sound artist John Morton, whose manually and electronically reconfigured music boxes are pulled apart, sampled and then finished off with layers of toy pianos and mbiras. Plus the musical duo from Basle, Stimmhorn, puts old alpenhorns to new use, with a radical deconstruction of traditional Alpine music: yodelling, accordions, overtone singing and alpenhorn blowing. There’s also music for up to 8 harps, on Robert Moran’s “Ten Miles High Over Albania." New music for oud as the lead with piano and bass by Yitzhak Tedid rounds out the show.

Globetrotting Electro-acoustica

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Up on this New Sounds, electro-acoustic music from Japan, Austria, Ireland, and the U.S. Listen to an unusual work by London-based Pete M. Wyer, called “Four Bridges.” Recorded at four different locations in India, America Germany, and UK, musicians play from the same time-coded score, which specifies what kind of improvising to do and how long to do it. Then, in a most unusual weave, Wyer pieced these acoustic recordings together as a tape work. Also, we’ll hear from Irish composer Linda Buckley, Austrian sound artist Bernhard Fleischmann, Brooklyn-based pianist Marco Benevento, and Ryuichi Sakamoto as well.

Ambient Orchestral Music

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Hear some ambient orchestral music from The Moodswing Orchestra on this New Sounds. The Moodswing Orchestra is what drummer Ben Perowsky calls the "Sideman's Revenge" - it's an aural collage of beats, textures, and ambient-groove improvisations. We'll listen to some of it, plus music from Japanese art-noise outfit Mono's latest, "Hymn to the Immortal Wind." There's also something from groundbreaking electric guitarist/microtonal composer Glenn Branca, and more.

Middle Eastern Chamber Music

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

For this New Sounds, listen to some small ensemble works revolving around the sounds of Persian and Arabic instruments and melodies. We'll hear "Silent City" from Kayhan Kalhor with Brooklyn Rider, along with some music from Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. Plus, listen to the latest from Kronos Quartet, called Floodplain, and more.

World Music from Norway

Monday, August 17, 2009

For this New Sounds, we'll be treated to "Nordic introspection, Andalusian mysticism and Arabic hues" (-Dan Ouellette, Billboard.com), courtesy of Norwegian pianist and composer Jon Balke. With Moroccan Amina Alaoui on vocals, Kheir-Eddine M'Kachiche from Algeria on violin, further accompanied by a couple of jazz musicians and a string ensemble, the music reaches back to the Baroque, but sounds well-traveled and trans-cultural. Also, Jan Garbarek and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan offer ragas and sagas, while Farmers Market blends Norwegian and Bulgarian music. And there's more!

New Music for Strings

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Hear new music drawing on rock, world, and improvised musics on this edition of New Sounds. There are works by John Zorn, Kronos Quartet and the Gogmagogs. Plus, arrangements of music by the Section Quartet along with music by Invert. And more.

Neruda Settings

Saturday, August 15, 2009

For this New Sounds program, experience the poetry of Pablo Neruda, set to music by a diverse array of composers, including the new recording of "Oceana" by Osvaldo Golijov. There's also Peter Lieberson's "Neruda Songs," his farewell to his wife, the late mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Plus, music by Luciana Souza, and Francesca Ancarola, along with the Rachel's.

Beatles a la New Sounds

Friday, August 14, 2009

Listen to unusual covers of Beatles songs for this edition of New Sounds, including versions by vocalist Ann Dyer, trombonist Josh Roseman, viola da gamba player Roy Weldon, and more.

A Private Reel - the Old Studios

Thursday, August 13, 2009

For this edition of New Sounds, we'll revisit live performances from WNYC's old performance studio. Listen to hi-tech guitar/sampling from Andre La Fosse, and mystical Jewish niggunim from Andy Statman and his Quartet. Plus, hear impressionist cello/piano music by David Darling and Ketil Bjornstad along with Indian-inspired music from composer Michael Harrison and his band Mandalla Jones. There's also traditional Persian music by the Mojdeh Ensemble and more.

Twisted Roots

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Listen to some contemporary compositions based on the sounds of American folk, blues, and other "roots" music for this New Sounds. We'll hear from Joel Harrison's latest, "The Wheel," along with music by Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, and Last Forever. There's also a live performance by Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, and Sam Bush of "From Ankara To Izmir" recorded in the WNYC studios. Plus, music from Bill Frisell rounds out the show.

Computer Blue

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Listen to a sampling of computer music, including an Icelandic tribute to an obsolete mainframe computer, and a singing Mac from the mid-80s. Hear music by Johan Johansson, inspired by the very first huge mainframe on Iceland - his Dad's. We'll hear his "IBM 1401, A User's Manual." Then, experience the singing Mac in a work by Hearn Gadbois, "GAHT MAYH MOH8JOH3 WOYKIN." Plus, there's "Idle Chatter," by Paul Lansky, made with the sounds of human speech fed into a computer; just listen to the resulting song that comes out. Plus, music by Morton Subotnick, and more.

Ethiopiques, Old and New

Monday, August 10, 2009

The French series of recordings called Ethiopiques documents the remarkable combination of James Brown funk, 60s psychedelia, Indonesian scales, Hindi film scores, and European marching bands that formed the sounds of "Swinging Addis" in the early 1970s. We'll hear Ethio-pop and Ethio-jazz from Mahmoud Ahmed and Tlahoun Gessesse, among others, as well as newcomers from the US and France: the Either Orchestra and Le Tigre (des Platanes).

The Cloud of Unknowing

Sunday, August 09, 2009

The anonymous monk who penned "The Cloud of Unknowing, " a 14th century work of Christian mysticism, could not possibly have known that 700 years later, his work would be inspiring new music. On this New Sounds, we’ll hear works by English guitarist James Blackshaw, drummer John Hollenbeck and his Claudia Quintet, Norwegian saxophonist/composer Jan Garbarek, and Alaska composer John Luther Adams – all inspired by (and titled after) this medieval work.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Saturday, August 08, 2009

For this New Sounds, there's new music from Gaudi & Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Near the 10th anniversary of the death of the great Pakistani singer, Anglo-Italian producer Gaudi takes early vocal tracks by Nusrat and marries them to contemporary dance beats not too far removed from the traditional dance beats of Pakistani qawwali music. Also, Nusrat's collaborations with Michael Brook, Eddie Vedder, and Peter Gabriel. Plus, music from the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Qawwali Party itself.

Twitchy Renaissance-Infused Minimalism

Friday, August 07, 2009

From the New Sounds Live concerts at Merkin Hall, Nico Muhly presents a series of new electroacoustic ensemble works, combining “twitchy Minimalism” and Renaissance polyphony. Hear brand-new works from "Mothertongue," along with other works, recorded live.

Yeah, They’re All Women. So?

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Schaefer stacks the decks on New Sounds with new music from vocal pioneer Meredith Monk, featuring a work from her latest, "Impermanence." There's also music from 2 Foot Yard, a trio that includes violinist/songwriter Carla Kihlstedt (Tin Hat, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.) Plus, hear incredible guitar compositions from Kaki King, whose fingerstyle-meets-folky-shoegaze genre sets the bar for a new era of guitaristry. Music from Sussan Deyhim rounds out the show.

New Music from Europe

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Hear Arvo Part's most recorded work, "Fratres," performed by the Icelandic chamber group Isafold. There's also music for piano, looping, and strings by the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi. Plus, selections from the film score "The Merchant of Venice" by English composer Jocelyn Pook, and much more.

PROGRAM # 2812, New “Orchestral” Music from Europe (First aired on Wednesday 6/11/08)

Medieval and Modern Choral Music

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Music by the young American composer Eric Whitacre, some dazzling unaccompanied vocal writing from his record "Cloudburst." Also, music from the lauded record "Officium" by the Hilliard Ensemble and saxophone-wielding Jan Garbarek. Plus, Anonymous 4 sings Hildegard von Bingen and music by Alfred Schnittke - his "Collected Songs Where Every Verse Is Filled With Grief." And more.

"Found" Sounds

Monday, August 03, 2009

From the New Sounds Live concerts at Merkin Hall, The Curiously Strong Winds play two works by Phillip Bimstein, both incorporating "found" sounds; the natural sounds used in "Half Moon At Checkerboard Mesa" and the very unnatural sounds of Las Vegas in the piece "Casino." That plus, music from David Byrne and Kyle Gann for this edition of New Sounds.

New Music From the UK

Sunday, August 02, 2009

On this New Sounds, hear works by violist/composer Jocelyn Pook, and her sometime collaborator composer, pianist and bandleader Jeremy Peyton-Jones. There's also music by the original young composer Geoff Smith, whose 4AD lushness coupled with minimalist cool, comes out sounding part-Cocteau Twins, part- Philip Glass. Listen for music by Michael Nyman and more.

Cello Songs and Interludes

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Beginning with Nick Drake's haunting "Cello Song," we'll move on to songs by Donna McKevitt and Arthur Russell on this New Sounds program. Also experience the striking eight-part harmonies of the Wulu Bunun people of Taiwan - with cello layers by David Darling. Plus, hear instrumentals by Erik Friedlander, Jamie Sieber, possibly some music from Sharp Wire, and more.