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Radio Eclectus surveys the state of radical new music both today and on October 1, 1970. We sample the latest albums from Rebecca Saunders, Diamanda Galás, Ellen Fullman, James MacMillan, Masha Zoetrop and ~Nois, a loopy duo from Kyle Bruckmann & Timothy Daisy, a broadcast premiere from Robert Moran, and a first recording of an Henri Pousseur miniature. Alongside that, our "50 Years Ago in the Avant-Garde" feature offers up several auspicious anniversaries, featuring the likes of Ligeti, Lachenmann, Peter Maxwell Davies and Julius Eastman. We've also got some Beethoven for his semiquincentennial—but with three orchestras instead of one. And John Coltrane gets into the act too: the 60th anniversary of his Giant Steps album has seen a new reissue that includes previously unreleased outtakes, as well as a new recording of a homage piece by Sebastian Hilli.
Join us for an intriguing three-hour ride, “the perfect cure for the lockdown blues” (Right Brain Records).
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Annotated playlist for show #64⠀
Intro and SET 1: Music of three continents⠀
1. [2:17] Kyle Bruckmann: Feral Glintings. From Loop Language (Relay, 2020) with Kyle Bruckmann (oboe/English horn, electronics), Tim Daisy (drums, marimba, glass bowls, percussion), Alex Inglizian (recording)⠀
2. [10:07] Robert Moran: Fisches Nachtgesang. With Dortmund Choral Society, Rupert Huber (recorded live, 2015)⠀
3. [13:32] James MacMillan: Gaudeamus in loci pace. From Organ Works (Resonus, 2020) with Stephen Farr (organ), Adam Binks (engineer). NOTE: Composed 1998⠀
4. [19:41] Masha Zoetrop: Under Whirlwinds. From Retrieving Beirut, Part 2 (Syrphe, 2020) with Myriam Hamida AKA Masha Zoetrop⠀
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SET 2: King George goes mad [23:18]⠀
1. [28:27] Peter Maxwell Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King (excerpts). From Eight Songs for a Mad King (Unicorn 1971 and Nonesuch 1973, reissued as Miss Donnithorne's Maggot/Eight Songs for a Mad King by Unicorn-Kanchana 1987) with Julius Eastman (baritone), The Fires of London, Peter Maxwell Davies (conductor). NOTE: Premiered 1969, recorded October 1970. A modern video staging featuring Kelvin Thomas and Psappha Ensemble can be viewed at https://youtu.be/m6357vL9TPg⠀
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SET 3: Beethoven under pressure [42:56]⠀
1. [46:12] Pierre Henry: La Dixième Symphonie - 2. Scherzo. From La Dixième Symphonie, hommage à Beethoven (Alpha Classics, 2020) with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Pascal Rophé (conductor), Orchestre du Conservatoire de Paris, Bruno Mantovani, Marzena Diakun (conductors), Yves Baudry (sound director). NOTE: Video of Pierre Henry: La Dixième Symphonie, hommage à Beethoven (live performance with three orchestras) can be viewed at https://www.arte.tv/fr/videos/087078-010-A/la-dixieme-symphonie-hommage-a-beethoven-de-pierre-henry/⠀
2. [54:39] Leander Ruprecht: Sonata in D minor (2nd version). From Reflecting Beethoven (BR-Klassik, 2020) with Herbert Schuch (piano), Jochen Fornell (engineer)⠀
3. [56:51] Henri Pousseur: Coups de Des en Echos. From Reflecting Beethoven (credits as above). NOTE: Composed 1992⠀
4. [59:48] Helmut Lachenmann: Pression. From dal niente… (Wergo, 2008) with Wolfgang Lessing (cello). NOTE: Composed 1969, premiered September 30, 1970⠀
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SET 4: Ligeti and his progeny [1:09:16]⠀
1. [1:14:10] György Ligeti: Chamber Concerto for 13 instruments - 1. Corrente. From Concertos (BIS, 2020) with BIT20 Ensemble, Baldur Brönnimann (conductor). NOTE: Premiered October 1, 1970⠀
2. [1:19:05] György Ligeti: Chamber Concerto for 13 instruments - 3. Movimento preciso e meccanico. From Concertos (as above)⠀
3. [1:22:52] David Reminick: Consort for Four Detuned Soprano Saxophones. From Is This ~Nois (Bandcamp, 2020) with ~Nois: Brandon Quarles, Hunter Bockes, Jordan Lulloff, János Csontos (soprano saxophones), Dan Nichols (engineer). NOTE: Composed 2012⠀
4. [1:30:53] Rebecca Saunders: Still. From Musica Viva #35: Still, Aether, Alba (BR-Klassik, 20200 with Caroline Widmann (violin), Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Ilan Volkov (conductor), Christiane Voitz (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2011. Hear Ilan Volkov’s At Home podcasts (mentioned during the voice break) at https://soundcloud.com/halas-radio/sets/at-home-with-ilan-volkov⠀
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SET 5: Giant Steps at 60 [1:48:23]⠀
1. [1:52:36] John Coltrane: Giant Steps. From Giant Steps 60th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (Rhino Atlantic, 2020) with John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Paul Chambers (double bass), Cedar Walton (piano), Lex Humphries (drums). NOTE: Alternate, Take 8, recorded 1959, original album released 1960⠀
2. [1:56:19] Sebastian Hilli: Paraphrase II, Giant steps and eden acid. From confluence/divergence (Kairos, 2020) with Uusinta Ensemble, József Hárs (conductor), Anders Pohjola (engineer). NOTE: Composed 2016⠀
3. [2:16:39] John Coltrane: Naima. From Giant Steps 60th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (credits as above). NOTE: Alternate, Take 6, recorded 1959, original album released 1960⠀
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SET 6: Quarantines then and now [2:20:11]⠀
1. [2:23:11] Diamanda Galás: De-formation: Piano Variations. From De-formation: Piano Variations (Intravenal Sound Operations, 2020) with Diamanda Galás (piano), Daniel Neumann (engineer). NOTE: Recorded 2019⠀
2. [2:44:31] Ellen Fullman: Harbors Part 3. From Harbors (Room40, 2020) with Ellen Fullman (Long String Instrument), Theresa Wong (cello)
Photo credits: György Ligeti by Marcel Antonisse (Anefo), Sebastian Hilli by Sara Kokko, John Coltrane by Lee Friedlander via Rhino Records, Diamanda Galás via the artist, Masha Zoetrop via Myriam Hamida, Ellen Fullman with Long String Instrument by Micke Keysendal, Robert Moran via the artist, score details from Helmut Lachenmann and Peter Maxwell Davies, Kyle Bruckmann by Lenny Gonzalez, Julius Eastman via The Julius Eastman Project, Rebecca Saunders by Astrid Ackermann.