Gerald Barry does Alice in Wonderland. Alvin Lucier sings pop tunes. Éliane Radigue writes for pipe organ for the first time and Kevin Volans portrays fiery tongues. All this and more in our new podcast.
Join host Michael Schell as Radio Eclectus celebrates the 70th birthday of Gerald Barry and the 75th birthday of Nicola LeFanu with a whirlwind tour of Barry’s newly-recorded Lewis Carroll-centric opera, and a colorful LeFanu orchestral work that’s finally made it onto a record. We also traverse the entire 45 minutes of Radigue’s Occam XXV, and an ambitious new chamber work by Kevin Volans inspired by the Pentecost story. And a pair of landmark compositions by Alvin Lucier and Luciano Berio brought to us by our “50 years ago in the avant-garde” feature lead us to contemplate notions of high and low art, and whether a particular 1970s LP deserved its appellation as “one of the most obnoxious records ever made”.
Annotated playlist and photo credits with Comments.
Global chart history
Top position held by this upload
Comments
Annotated playlist for show #105
Intro and SET 1: Gerald Barry at 70 [0:00]
1. [1:31] Gerald Barry: Alice's Adventures Under Ground (excerpts). From Alice's Adventures Under Ground (Signum Classics, 2022) with Alice: Claudia Boyle (soprano), Red Queen et al: Clare Presland (mezzo-soprano), White Queen et al: Hilary Summers (contralto), White King et al: Gavan Ring (tenor), March Hare et al: Peter Tantsits (tenor), White Knight et al: Stephen Richardson (bass-baritone), Humpty Dumpty et al: Alan Ewing (bass), Irish National Opera, André de Ridder (conductor), Eduardo Prado (recording engineer)
⠀
SET 2: Tongues of fire [21:26]
1. [24:05] Kevin Volans: Lenguas de Fuego. From Lenguas de Fuego (Louth Contemporary Music Society, 2021) with Mia Cooper, Anna Cashel (violins), Joachim Roewer (viola), William Butt (cello), Silvija Scerbaviciute (flute), Brian Dungan (percussion), Andrew Synnott (conductor), Debbie Smith (recording engineer)
⠀
Voice break with Radigue: Adnos I and SET 3: Radigue's latest [50:49]
1. [54:37] Éliane Radigue: Occam XXV. From Occam XXV (Organ Reframed, 2022) with Frédéric Blondy (organ), Daniel Halford (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2018, recorded January 8, 2020 at Union Chapel, London. Premiere recording. For an introduction to Radigue listen to https://tinyurl.com/FD0032
⠀
SET 4: Nicola LeFanu at 75 [1:39:07]
1. [1:42:11] Nicola LeFanu: The Hidden Landscape. From The Crimson Bird (NMC, 2020) with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Norman Del Mar (conductor). NOTE: Composed and recorded in 1973. Premiere recording
⠀
SET 5: 50 years ago in the avant-garde I [2:04:45]
1. [2:08:34] Luciano Berio: Recital I (for Cathy) [excerpts]. From Recital I, Folk Songs (RCA, 1973) with Cathy Berberian (mezzo-soprano), London Sinfonietta, Luciano Berio (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1971, premiered April 27, 1972 in Lisbon. Only excerpts are included in the Mixcloud version of the show due to Mixcloud licensing restrictions. The full recording can be streamed from YouTube (search on "Berio Recital") and elsewhere
⠀
SET 6: 50 years ago in the avant-garde II [2:12:53]
1. [2:15:39] Alvin Lucier: The Duke of York. From Nova Musicha n.11: Bird and Person Dyning (Cramps, 1976, reissued 1997) with Alvin Lucier (voice), Nicolas Collins, Stuart Marshall (synthesizer). NOTE: Composed 1971, recorded 1972
2. [2:36:02] Outro with Alvin Lucier: Bird and Person Dyning
Photo credits: Nicola Lefanu by David Lumsdaine, Éliane Radigue and Frédéric Blondy by Jean-Christian Rieu, Alvin Lucier by Roberto Masotti, Claudia Boyle in Alice's Adventures Under Ground by Pádraig David Grant/Irish National Opera, Luciano Berio by Philippe Gontier, Kevin Volans by Nick Miller, Cathy Berberian by Rob Mieremet/Anefo, Gerald Barry via Schott Music.