Flotation Device honors William Parker for his 70th birthday and David Lang for his 65th. We preview Parker’s new Cecil Taylor tribute album with Andrew Cyrille and Enrico Rava, contrasting it with his classic trio record with Anthony Braxton and the late Milford Graves. Lang is represented by recent projects with Eighth Blackbird and Lorelei Ensemble that showcase his particular brand of morbid postminimalism.
We also say goodbye to electronic music pioneer Gottfried Michael Koenig (1926–2021), one of the last links to the great generation of post-War European avant-gardists. And we show his legacy in action with new albums by several European musicians making their Flotation Device debuts: Adrián Demoč, Gavin Higgins, ILL Considered, Ondřej Adámek and Wojciech Błażejczyk. A Mick Barr pounding, Michael Finnissy's newest and Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s foray into vocal performance (one of host Michael Schell's picks of 2021) round out the playlist.
Annotated playlist with Comments.
Global chart history
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Flotation Device 2022-01-09: annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - PART ONE OF TWO
Intro and SET 1: Night sky [0:00]
1. [1:07] Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 - 8. Nacht (Passacaglia). From Pierrot Lunaire (Alpha Classics, 2021) with Patricia Kopatchinskaja (sprechgesang), Meesun Hong (violin, viola), Júlia Gállego (flute), Reto Bieri (clarinet), Thomas Kaufmann (cello), Joonas Ahonen (piano). NOTE: Composed 1912
2. [3:15] Patrick Brennan: Patterns in a Galactic Field - 1. From Sculptors in Sound: Piano Music by Beethoven and Finnissy (Orpheus Classical, 2021) with Aron Rozsa (piano)
3. [6:36] Patrick Brennan: Patterns in a Galactic Field - 2. Homage to Arnold Schoenberg. From Sculptors in Sound: Piano Music by Beethoven and Finnissy (credits as above)
4. [8:03] Anthony Braxton, Milford Graves, William Parker: Fourth Meeting. From Beyond Quantum (Tzadik, 2008) with Anthony Braxton (saxophone), Milford Graves (percussion), William Parker (bass), James Dellatacoma (engineer)⠀
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SET 2: Happy birthday William Parker [24:08]
1. [28:18] Ondřej Adámek: Follow Me - 1. From Musica Viva 38: Ondřej Adámek (BR-Klassik, 2022) with Isabelle Faust (violin), Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Peter Rundel (conductor), Klemens Kamp (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2016–17, recorded 2017
2. [39:37] Gavin Higgins: Gursky Landscapes - 4. Utah. From Ekstasis (Nimbus, 2021) with Piatti Quartet, David Cohen (cello). NOTE: composed 2015–18
3. [42:45] Andrew Cyrille, William Parker, Enrico Rava: Improvisation No. 1. From 2 Blues for Cecil (TUM, 2022) with Andrew Cyrille (drums), William Parker (double bass), Enrico Rava (flugelhorn), Ludovic Lanen (recording engineer)
4. [53:39] Outro with Cyrille/Parker/Rava: Top, Bottom and Whats in the Middle
Flotation Device 2022-01-09: annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - PART TWO OF TWO
SET 3: Gottfried Michael Koenig (1926–2021) [59:06]
1. [59:39] Ill Considered: Knuckles. From Liminal Space (New Soil, 2021) with Ill Considered: Idris Rahman (saxophone), Liran Donin (bass), Emre Ramazanoglu (drums, recording engineer), guests: Tamar Osborn, Ahnanse (saxophone), Theon Cross (tuba), Sarathy Korwar (percussion). NOTE: Composition by Liran Donin
2. [1:04:32] Ocrilim: Blwch-ariam 1. From Blwch-ariam/Eiraddfa (Bandcamp, 2021) with Mick Barr AKA Mjopbroon (12-string banjo, Azeri tar, dulcimer, wallbong, Judy harp)
3. [1:06:29] Ocrilim: Eiraddfa 2. From Blwch-ariam/Eiraddfa (Bandcamp, 2021) with Mick Barr AKA Mjopbroon (12-string banjo, Azeri tar, dulcimer, wallbong, Judy harp)
4. [1:09:48] Adrián Demoč: Lešenie k zahĺbeniu. From Hlaholika (Another Timbre, 2021) with students of the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts, Brno, Czech Republic. NOTE: Composed 2007
5. [1:16:43] Gottfried Michael Koenig: Klangfiguren II. From Les Espaces Électroacoustiques II (Col Legno, 2020) with Gottfried Michael Koenig (original 4-channel realization), Florian Bogner, Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology of the Zurich University of the Arts (5.1/stereo remix). NOTE: Realized 1955–56⠀
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SET 4: Happy birthday David Lang [1:27:05]
1. [1:30:45] David Lang: Love Fail (version for female choir) - 5. The wood and the vine. From Love Fail (Cantaloupe, 2020) with Lorelei Ensemble, Beth Willer (conductor)
2. [1:39:44] Wojciech Błażejczyk: Angels of Peace. From General Theory of Relativity (Kairos, 2021) with Klangforum Wien: Michael Seifried (double bass), Markus Deuter (oboe, heckelphone), Christoph Walder (horn), Bernhard Zachhuber (bass clarinet), Wojciech Błażejczyk, Andreas Eberle (recording engineers). NOTE: Composed 2017
3. [1:54:54] Outro with David Lang: These Broken Wings
#1 in Noise and Industrial and in Italy #1 in Classical and Jazz too. Congrats to our friends at Flotation Device!
Photo credits: Michael Finnissy via the artist, Ill Considered (Idris Rahman, Liran Donin, Emre Ramazanoglu) via the artists, Adrián Demoč via Another Timbre, David Lang by Dacia Clay, Patricia Kopatchinskaja by Alexandra Muravyeva, William Parker and Enrico Rava by Luciano Rossetti/PHOCUS, Wojciech Błażejczyk via the artist, Gottfried Michael Koenig via Wikipedia, Lorelei Ensemble by Ars Magna Studio, Isabelle Faust by Felix Broede, Ondřej Adámek by Luc Hossepied.