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This week we explore a major new album devoted to Žibuoklė Martinaitytė's choral music, perfect for listeners who don't ordinarily like choirs! We'll see how her brand of Ligeti, Saariaho and Scandinavian-inflected "acoustic hedonism" fares without any instruments or texts to work with. Also on the docket are a pair of wartime piano pieces by Ukraine's foremost composer Valentin Silvestrov in their premiere recording by Alexei Lubimov (whose 2022 recital in Moscow was famously shut down by police). We also get a jump on the Boulez centennial with help from Ludovic Morlot and Seattle Symphony, sample the debut portrait album by South African composer Andile Khumalo, examine a new traversal of Cage’s complete Variations by the Australian ensemble Decibel, and survey some Schumann- and Paganini-inspired miniatures from Mark Carlson and Tom Coult. New improv by Travis Reuter, Tyshawn Sorey, Lori Goldston, Eunhye Jeong, Bill Horist, Ivo Perelman and Fay Victor rounds out the playlist.
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Flotation Device 2024-09-15: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Same song, different song [0:00]
1. [1:33] Travis Reuter: Same Song. From Quintet Music (6153751 Records DK2, 2024) with Mark Shim (tenor sax), Travis Reuter (guitar), Peter Schlamb (vibraphone), Harish Raghavan (upright bass), Tyshawn Sorey (drums), Chris Benham (recording engineer, Big Orange Sheep)
2. [6:35] Tom Coult: 4 Études - 1. Liberamente, con bravura. From Caprices (Rubicon, 2022) with Fenella Humphreys (violin), Dave Rowell (recording engineer, FiLO Classical)
3. [7:58] Lori Goldston: Cascadian Sheer (excerpts). From Convolutions (Nyahh, 2024) with Lori Goldston (cello), Willie Stewart (recording engineer)
4. [10:28] John Cage: Variations III. From Cage Edition 55: Actions–Remarks (Mode, 2024) with Decibel: Stuart James (snare drum, AM radio, recording engineer)
5. [13:38] Eunhye Jeong: KM-53 (excerpt). From End of Time Vol. 2 (577, 2024) with Allison Burik (alto sax, bass clarinet), Mina Kim (cello), Max Ridley (double bass), Eunhye Jeong (piano), Francisco Mela (drums), Mike Green (recording engineer)
6. [20:55] Bill Horist: The Acrobats of Katabasis. From Substratum (Right Brain, 2024) with Bill Horist (prepared guitar, effects)
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SET 2: Revelations [25:48]
1. [30:23] Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: Aletheia. From Aletheia (Ondine, 2024) with Latvian Radio Choir, Sigvards Kļava (conductor), Agnese Streļča (recording engineer)
2. [45:33] Pierre Boulez: Livre pour cordes. From Boulez Conducts Boulez (Columbia, 1973) with Strings of the New Philharmonia Orchestra, Pierre Boulez (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1968
3. [56:11] Outro with Pierre Boulez: Notations (Seattle Symphony)
4. [1:01:13] Andile Khumalo: Cry Out. From Tracing Hollow Traces (New Focus, 2024) with Ammie Brod (viola), Andrew Nogal (oboe), Kyle Flens (marimba), Mabel Kwan (piano), Michael Lewanski (conductor), Dan Nichols (recording engineer)
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SET 3: Looking back [1:10:25]
1. [1:11:17] Mark Carlson: X. Sehr rasch. From New Dances of the League of David (New Focus, 2024) with David Kaplan (piano), Benjamin Maas (recording engineer)
2. [1:14:39] Ivo Perelman: I - Two. From Messa Di Voce (Mahakala, 2024) with Fay Victor (vocals), Ivo Perelman (tenor sax), Joe Morris (bass), Ramon Lopez (drums), Jim Clouse (recording engineer, Park West Studios)
3. [1:24:18] Valentin Silvestrov: Two Pieces for Piano Solo - 1. Augenblick, 2. Wiegenlied. From Forgotten Word I Wished to Say (Sony, 2024) with Alexei Lubimov (piano). NOTE: Composed 2023
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SET 4: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [1:30:51]
1. [1:35:00] Valentin Silvestrov: String Quartet No. 1. From Music for String Quartet (Etcetera, 1993) with Lysenko String Quartet: Anatoli Bazhenov, Arkadi Vinokurov (violins), Yuri Kholodov (viola), Victor Gaiduk (cello), Pyotr Kondrashin (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed and premiered 1974
2. [1:55:52] Outro with Valentin Silvestrov: Symphony No. 8
Photo credits: Žibuoklė Martinaitytė by Lina Aiduke, Eunhye Jeong by Hannah Osofsky, John Cage: Variations III by Decibel, Mark Carlson by Roger Bourland, Pierre Boulez by Felix Broede, Travis Reuter via the artist, Messa Di Voce (Ramon Lopez, Joe Morris, Ivo Perelman, Fay Victor) via the artists, Bill Horist by Daniel Sheehan, Andile Khumalo by Marco Giugliarelli, Valentin Silvestrov by Marco Caselli