#4794, Music With Birdsong
Tonight, hear music featuring field recordings of birds.
Laurence Crane’s Natural World, opens with recordings of songbirds singing in the early morning hours, also known as the “dawn chorus.” These sounds of nature are joined by the voice of Juliet Fraser and Mark Knoop on piano and electronics. Then comes the outlier of the evening, a movement of Jóhann Jóhannsson’s A Prayer to the Dynamo. This piece is unique in the lineup because it doesn’t feature any birdsong. However, you’ll hear field recordings from the composer of Iceland’s Elliðaár power plant.
Next up is Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Cantus Arcticus performed by the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. The piece is subtitled Concerto for Birds and Orchestra and it incorporates tape recordings of birdsong from northern Finland, which have been pitch corrected to match the orchestra. Then, a haunting combination of birdsong and vocals can be heard in Darwin's Finches by Resina. Finally, music by Gabriella Smith, which uses the recordings of the dawn chorus from a small town in Southern Chile accompanied by the Bang on a Can All-Stars. - Laura Boyman
#4794, Music with Birdsong (First aired 9/22/23)
ARTIST: Leif Segerstam, conductor; Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
WORK: Einojuhani Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus [1:41]
RECORDING: Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, "Cantus Arcticus"
SOURCE: Ondine 1079
INFO: ondine.net
ARTIST: Juliet Fraser, voice & Casio keyboard; Mark Knoop, piano & electronics
WORK: Laurence Crane: Natural World, II. Chorus [9:44]
RECORDING: Natural World
SOURCE: Another Timbre
INFO: anothertimbre.bandcamp.com/natural-world
ARTIST: Daníel Bjarnasson, cond; Iceland Symphony Orchestra
WORK: Jóhann Jóhannsson: A Prayer To The Dynamo, Part 3 [8:52]
RECORDING: A Prayer To The Dynamo and
Suites from Sicario & The Theory of Everything
SOURCE: Deutsche Grammophon
INFO: shop.decca.com or available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, YouTube, or Spotify
ARTIST: Leif Segerstam, conductor; Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
WORK: Einojuhani Rautavaara: Cantus Arcticus [19:10]
RECORDING: Concerto for Birds and Orchestra, "Cantus Arcticus"
SOURCE: Ondine 1079
INFO: ondine.net
ARTIST: Resina
WORK: Darwin's Finches [3:33]
RECORDING: Speechless
SOURCE: FatCat Records
INFO: resina.bandcamp.com/darwins-finches
ARTIST: Bang on a Can All-Stars
WORK: Gabriella Smith: Panitao [1:00]
RECORDING: More Field Recordings
SOURCE: Cantaloupe Music
INFO: bangonacan.bandcamp.com/more-field-recordings
