Radical new concertos are being commissioned in abundance these days, and we sample three of them in this program, including a look at The Brandenburg Project, which pairs contemporary works with Bach's six iconic masterpieces. Hear Steven Mackey’s take on #2 with trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger, then check out the similar new-meets-old sensibilities on display in Peter Eötvös’s concerto for violin (inspired by the Alhambra) & Sunleif Rasmussen’s for recorder.
Plus, we appraise William Parker’s new 10-CD box set, review John Zorn's Bagatelles as played by 4 different ensembles in Tzadik’s new 4-CD anthology, and sample the new Pierre Henry retrospective on Decca that includes several previously-unreleased works from this pioneer of electroacoustic music. New tracks from Marshall Trammell and the trio of Ingrid Laubrock/Susan Alcorn/Leila Bordreuil combine with a Jin Hi Kim rarity and a pair of Feldmanesque works by Scott Wollschleger and Orlando Jacinto García to round out the playlist.
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Annotated playlist for show #86
Intro and SET 1: John Zorn's Bagatelles
1. [2:43] John Zorn: Bagatelle #57. From John Zorn's Bagatelles Vol. 1 (Tzadik, 2021) with Mary Halvorson Quartet: Mary Halvorson, Miles Okazaki (guitars), Drew Gress (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Aaron Nevezie (recording engineer)
2. [7:30] John Zorn: Bagatelle #144. From John Zorn's Bagatelles Vol. 4 (Tzadik, 2021) with Ikue Mori (laptop, electronics)
3. [9:42] John Zorn: Bagatelle #220. From John Zorn's Bagatelles Vol. 3 (Tzadik, 2021) with Trigger: Will Greene (guitar), Simon Hanes (bass), Aaron Edgcomb (drums), James Dellatacoma (recording engineer)
4. [12:27] John Zorn: Bagatelle #43. From John Zorn's Bagatelles Vol. 2 (Tzadik, 2021) with Erik Friedlander, Michael Nicolas (cellos), Ryan Streber (recording engineer)
5. [17:38] John Zorn: Bagatelle #108. From John Zorn's Bagatelles Vol. 1 (credits as above)
6. [21:03] John Zorn: Bagatelle #178. From John Zorn's Bagatelles Vol. 4 (credits as above)⠀
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SET 2: Mackey contemplates Bach [23:57]
1. [26:40] Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047 - 3. Allegro assai. From The Brandenburg Project (BIS, 2021) with Håkan Hardenberger (trumpet), Fiona Kelly (flute), Mårten Larsson (oboe), Antje Weithaas (violin), Björn Gäfvert (harpsichord), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard (conductor), Christian Starke (recording engineer)
2. [29:12] Steven Mackey: Triceros. From The Brandenburg Project (BIS, 2021) with Håkan Hardenberger (piccolo trumpet, C trumpet, flugelhorn), Fiona Kelly (flute, piccolo, alto flute), Mårten Larsson (oboe, English horn), Antje Weithaas (violin), Björn Gäfvert (harpsichord), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Thomas Dausgaard (conductor), Christian Starke (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed in 2015⠀
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SET 3: Eötvös contemplates the Alhambra [47:42]
1. [50:43] Peter Eötvös: Violin Concerto No. 3 "Alhambra". From Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps, Eötvös: "Alhambra" Concerto (Harmonia Mundi, 2021) with Isabelle Faust (violin), Orchestre de Paris, Pablo Heras-Casado (conductor), René Möller (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2019⠀
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SET 4: Improvised music [1:13:58]
1. [1:17:55] Marshall Trammell AKA Music Research Strategies: 10. From Eleven Postures (SIGE Records, 2021) with Marshall Trammell (drums)
2. [1:23:03] Susan Alcorn, Leila Bordreuil, Ingrid Laubrock: Cañones (El Pueblo Unido). From Bird Meets Wire (Relative Pitch, 2021) with Susan Alcorn (pedal steel), Leila Bordreuil (cello), Ingrid Laubrock (tenor and soprano saxophones), Colin Marston (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded April 1, 2018
3. [1:28:47] William Parker: Trail of Tears I. From Migration of Silence Into and Out of The Tone World (AUM Fidelity/Centering, 2021) with Eri Yamamoto (piano), Jim Clouse (recording engineer)
4. [1:30:09] William Parker: Harlem Speaks. From Migration of Silence Into and Out of The Tone World (as above) with Fay Victor (voice), William Parker (balafon), Hamid Drake (drums, frame drum), Jim Clouse (recording engineer)
5. [1:37:26] William Parker: Family Voice. From Migration of Silence Into and Out of The Tone World (as above) with William Parker (non-Western flutes), Klaas Hekman (non-Western flutes), Coen Aalberts (percussion), Maxim Baghuis (recording engineer)⠀
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SET 5: Rasmussen contemplates the recorder [1:42:32]
1. [1:46:42] Jin Hi Kim: Core. From Komungo (O.O. Discs, 2001) with Jin Hi Kim (komungo)
2. [1:52:14] Pierre Henry: Construction tournante. From Galaxie (Decca Records France, 2021). NOTE: Realized in 2007. Previously unreleased
3. [1:58:57] Sunleif Rasmussen: Territorial Songs (concerto for recorder and orchestra). From Territorial Songs (OUR Recordings, 2021) with Michala Petri (recorders), Aalborg Symphony Orchestra, Henrik Vagn Christensen (conductor). NOTE: Composed 2008–09⠀
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Voice break with BBC Archives: Hi-Fi-Fo-Fum and SET 6: Slow and soft [2:19:59]
1. [2:25:25] Scott Wollschleger: Blue Inscription. From Dark Days (New Focus, 2021) with Karl Larson (piano), Ryan Streber (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2010
2. [2:31:05] Orlando Jacinto García: String Quartet No. 1 "Rendering Counterpoint". From String Quartets Nos. 1–3 (Metier/Divine Arts, 2021) with Amernet String Quartet, Jacob Sudol (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1986, first recording
Photo credits: Igor Stravinsky by George Grantham Bain, Błoto via the artists, Tansy Davies by Rikard Osterlund, Harry Partch and Gourd Tree via Wikimedia, Alexandre Tansman by Alban Paris, Kyoko Kitamura by Michael Weintrob, Brian Ferneyhough by Charlotte Oswald, Lucia Dlugoszewski via Library of Congress, Simon Bainbridge by Andrew Palmer, William Kraft via Theodore Presser, Lukas Ligeti via the artist, Antti Auvinen by Eija Tervo, Michael Gordon by Peter Serling, William Parker via the artist.