wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

The New York-based ensemble yMusic champions music by young composers whose work combines the complexity of classical music, and the tuneful, rhythmic energy of pop. yMusic gathers in the WNYC Studio to talk with David Garland about their musical adventures, and to play striking music by Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Judd Greenstein, and Son Lux.

Music an be gloriously disorientating when expectations are tweaked, creatively confounded, or even deliberately ignored. David Garland presents an array of music that may subtly or radically surprise and stimulate you, including new and unreleased music from Lambchop, Larkin Grimm, Sydney Wayser, Jody Redhage, Hospitality, and more.

The piano, or, to use its full name, pianoforte, earned its name because it can be played both quietly (piano) and loudly (forte). Lately there seems to be a trend toward the quiet side. Suddenly there are a number of young composer/pianists exploring a relaxed and alert sensibility in their music. David Garland presents an hour pianissimo pianos.

We’re trying to figure it all out—with songs. Terry Riley’s “A Spark from the Infinite” is just one of several songs here about striving for a bit of insight and wisdom, giving voice to the religious impulse, reconciling or contrasting the secular and sacred.