Music from Dowland to Cage and beyond takes the spotlight in this edition of Flotation Device. Sting and Ensemble 1604 use Dowland’s Flow My Tears as a springboard for contemporary expression with a mix of old and new instruments. The Calato trio from Buenos Aries offers an updated take on Cage’s Variations II, while the late Amelia Cuni is remembered by her unique adaptation of traditional Indian dhrupad singing to Cage’s Song Books. We also dabble in the occult via John Corigliano’s just-recorded opera The Lord of Cries, which recounts the story of The Bacchae using the characters of Dracula. We’ll use the 80th birthday of Pehr Henrik Nordgren to present our case for declaring him the most important Finnish composer between Sibelius and Saariajo. And new improv from Philip Zoubek, Joe Santa Maria, Alexander Hawkins and Nicole Mitchell, plus dark ambient from Greece and drippy quartertone accordion music from England round out the playlist.
Annotated playlist with Comments.
Global chart history
Top position held by this upload
Comments
Flotation Device 2024-01-21: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Cage and beyond [0:00]
1. [1:51] Philip Zoubek Trio Extended: Halo. From Mirage (Boomslang, 2023) with Philip Zoubek (piano, synthesizer), David Helm (bass), Dominik Mahnig (drums), Leonhard Huhn (woodwinds), Elisabeth Coudoux (cello), Shiau-shiuan Hung (vibraphone, cello), Stefan Deistler (recording engineer)
2. [3:59] Philip Zoubek Trio Extended: Robotnics. From Mirage (credits as above)
3. [8:38] Philip Zoubek Trio Extended: Druiden. From Mirage (credits as above)
4. [14:00] John Cage: Variations II. From Variations + Four⁶ (Now-ezz-thetics, 2023) with Calato: Javier Areal Vélez, Jorge Espinal (prepared guitars), Pablo Verón (drums, Akai MPC2500), Luciano Vitale (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1961
5. [15:56] John Cage: Raga 9, 2, 1, 16, 18 (excerpts). From Solo for Voice 58: 18 Microtonal Ragas (Other Minds, 2007) with Amelia Cuni (dhrupad vocals), Werner Durand (drones, electronics), Raymond Kaczynski, Federico Sanesi (percussion), Vittorio Vella (recording engineer)
⠀
SET 2: Dowland and beyond [28:15]
1. [31:51] Nicole Mitchell, Alexander Hawkins: The Stars are Listening. From At Earth School (Astral Spirits, 2023) with Nicole Mitchell (flute, voice), Alexander Hawkins (piano), Pedro Subtil (recording engineer)
2. [37:17] Nicole Mitchell, Alexander Hawkins: Elliptical Rotations. From At Earth School (credits as above)
3. [42:02] Timothy Cooper: …shadows that in darkness dwell… - 2. Fled. From Shadows That in Darkness Dwell (The Night With…, 2023) with Timothy Cooper (electronics, recording engineer), Ensemble 1604: Rory McCleery (countertenor), László Rózsa (recorders), Lucia Capellaro (baroque cello and viola da gamba), Alex McCartney (theorbo, lute)
4. [48:27] Timothy Cooper: Semper Melancholia. From Shadows That in Darkness Dwell (credits as above)
5. [56:02] Outro with John Dowland: Flow My Tears (Ellen Hargis/Paul O'Dette, Sting/Edin Karamazov)
6. [1:01:04] Joe Santa Maria: Mad Max. From Echo Deep (Orenda, 2023) with Joe Santa Maria (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone saxes, piccolo, flute, clarinet, keyboards), Andrew Conrad (reeds), Dan Rosenboom, Brandon Sherman, Andrew Rowan (trumpets), Ryan Dragon, Julianne Gralle (trombones), Max Kutner (guitar), Lauren Baba (strings), David Tranchina (bass), Tim Carr (drums)
⠀
SET 3: The Bacchae meets Dracula [1:05:40]
1. [1:08:28] John Corigliano: The Lord of Cries - Act I: Prologue (Taking the Mask) and Scene 1 (London in Chaos). From The Lord of Cries (Pentatone, 2023) with Dionysus: Anthony Roth Costanzo (countertenor), Correspondent: William Ferguson (tenor), Agave: Leah Brzyski (soprano), Abraham Van Helsing: Matt Boehler (bass), John Seward: Jarrett Ott (baritone), Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose (conductor), Joel Gordon (recording engineer). NOTE: Libretto by Mark Adamo after Bram Stoker and Euripides
2. [1:19:02] John Corigliano: The Lord of Cries - Act II: Recognition Scene and Vengeance of the Lord of Cries. From The Lord of Cries (credits as above)
3. [1:23:00] The Black Monolith: Litanies of the Black Serpent. From Witchcraft and Black Magic in the United States (Eighth Tower, 2024)
⠀
SET 4: Nordgren at 80 [1:28:22]
1. [1:30:29] Claudia Molitor: Fleeting Puddles. From Ispilu: Works for Quarter-Tone Accordion (Métier/Divine Arts, 2023) with Lore Amenabar Larrañaga (quarter-tone accordion). NOTE: Composed 2022
2. [1:39:37] Kurt Schwertsik: Locken-House/Un-Locked. From Creation (Alpha, 2022) with Lockenhaus Artists: Ilya Gringolts (violin), Timothy Ridout (viola), Nicolas Altstaedt (cello), Nicholas Rimmer (piano), Andreas Ruge (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2021
3. [1:41:16] Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Equilibrium for 19 strings, Op. 94. From Towards Equilibrium (BIS, 1996) with Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Juha Kangas (conductor), Jens Braun (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1995
4. [1:53:34] Outro with Pehr Henrik Nordgren: Piano Concerto No. 3 for the Left Hand
Photo credits: Pehr Henrik Nordgren by Maarit Kytöharju, Anthony Roth Costanzo in The Lord of Cries via Santa Fe Opera, John Cage by Ann Keyvan, Amelia Cuni via the artist, Solo for Voice 58 by John Cage, Philip Zoubek by Dieter Wagenbichler, Nicole Mitchell via the artist, Alexander Hawkins via the artist, Edin Karamazov and Sting in The Journey & The Labyrinth, Claudia Molitor via the artist, Lore larrañaga via Divine Art Recordings Group, Ensemble 1604 (Alex McCartney, László Rózsa, Lucia Capellaro) via the artists