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Tan Dun (Nana Watanabe)Cultural Collisions
With his melding of East and West, ancient and modern sounds, Hungarian composer Bela Bartok was an inspiration for many 20th-century artists and composers. Today, a look at his influence, first with Margaret Leng Tan, a pianist who has taken on the seminal "Makrokosmos" by American composer George Crumb, which themselves were influenced by Bartok. As we hear in a live performance, each of these "Twelve fantasy pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano," corresponds to a sign of the Babylonian zodiac. Then we talk with Chinese-American composer Tan Dun, where non-Western influence goes into the heart of his work, notably, "The Map," an ambitious symphony/multimedia project which draws on his discovery of music from the isolated corners of China. We round out the show by speaking with composer Steve Reich, who shares his favorite Bartok recording. Tune in for this encore broadcast of Soundcheck.
Margaret Leng Tan
The "Diva of the Avant Garde" discusses how Bartok's extended piano techniques inpsired her to take up the toy piano.
» Margaret Leng Tan's Web site
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Music
Composer Tan Dun discusses "The Map," an ambitious symphony/multimedia project which draws on his discovery of music from the isolated corners of China.
» Tan Dun's Web site
Steve Reich on Bartok
Composer Steve Reich talks about his all-time favorite recording, a classic account of Bartok's String Quartet No. 4.
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The Ill Effects of Urban Noise
Soundcheck
Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.
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