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Soundcheck

Wednesday, April 21, 2004
  • Composers Nathan Currier and Bruce Adolphe (photos: unknown and Christian Slater)
    Composer Nathan Currier | Composer Bruce Adolphe (unknown | Christian Slater)

    You Say it's Your Earth Day?

    Tomorrow is Earth Day, which makes it a fine time to look at two "eco-friendly" musical works. We’re joined by composer Nathan Currier whose new oratorio, "Gaian Variations" attempts to illustrate through music the Gaia Hypothesis—'the theory that all life on Earth is part of one giant system which shapes its own environment. Currier's massive score features an orchestra and a full complement of choruses, vocal soloists, pianists, a string quartet, harmonica player, and a dance company. We also visit with composer Bruce Adolphe, who previews his new music-and-poetry spectacular, "Oceanophony." Staged in the newly renovated Hall of Ocean Life in the American Museum of Natural History, the musical voyage depicts fantastical creatures from the ocean deep like the Sarcastic Fringehead Fish, the Stoplight Parrotfish, Octopus, Puffer, Seahorses and more.

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

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The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.