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A selection of intriguing new releases includes Myra Melford’s Cy Twombly-inspired Splash Trio, an expanded edition of Michael Gregory Jackson’s Frequency Equilibrium Koan and the premiere recording of Julia Perry’s astringent Piano Concerto in Two Uninterrupted Speeds. We compare the latter with Galina Ustvolskaya’s even more extreme Dona Nobis Pacem for its 50th anniversary. Her brutal ecstasy is in turn related to Alfred Schnittke via a new orchestration of his First Cello Sonata performed by Camerata Bern. Nastasia Khrushcheva continues Schnittke's nostalgic sensibilities with a dark take on Christmas songs. Rune Glerup returns from IRCAM with a new slant on the classical clarinet quintet, while Brooks Williams uses sound modelling and AI for good, not evil. An ambitious project by Fire! Orchestra advances the George Russell/Jazz Composer’s Orchestra line of exploratory big band music, while Lux Quartet’s more pocket-sized approach to improvisation rounds out the playlist.
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Flotation Device 2025-02-16: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: A dark painterly Christmas [0:00]
1. [2:21] Nastasia Khrushcheva: Five Songs for Christmas (excerpts). From String Quartets (Fancy Music, 2024) with OpensoundOrchestra
2. [11:53] Myra Melford: Dried Print on Cardboard. From Tomorrowland (Enja/Yellowbird, 2024) with Lux Quartet: Dayna Stephens (sax), Myra Melford (piano), Scott Colley (bass), Allison Miller (drums), Chris Allen (recording engineer, Sear Sound)
3. [21:34] Myra Melford in conversation with Michael Schell. NOTE: See the full interview at https://youtu.be/6MEOpoPFMHE
4. [22:17] Myra Melford: Interlude II. From Splash (Intakt, 2025) with Myra Melford (piano), Michael Formanek (bass), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone), Michael Brändli (recording engineer, Hardstudios Winterthur)
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SET 2: Then and now [25:47]
1. [28:56] Alfred Schnittke: Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 (arranged by Martin Merker for cello, strings and harpsichord) - 2. Presto. From Exile (Alpha, 2025) with Thomas Kaufmann (cello), Vital Julian Frey (harpsichord), Camerata Bern, Patricia Kopatchinskaja (direction), Marion Schwebel (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1978, premiere recording of this 2020 arrangement
2. [34:46] Rune Glerup: Clarinet Quintet, Op. 16 - Still Leaning Towards This Machine - 3. Prestissimo sfrenato. From Perhaps Thus the End (Dacapo, 2025) with Jonas Frølund (clarinet with live electronics), Thomas Goepfer, Rune Glerup (IRCAM computer music design), Quatuor Diotima: Yun-Peng Zhao, Constance Ronzatti (violins), Franck Chevalier (viola), Pierre Morlet (cello), Norbert Vossen (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2015, premiere recording
3. [41:12] Michael Gregory Jackson: Collectors of Social Dismay. From Frequency Equilibrium Koan Expanded Edition (Moved by Sound, 2025) with Michael Gregory Jackson (guitar), Abdul Wadud (cello), Pheeroan aKLaff (drums). NOTE: Recorded live 1977 by Jackson at The Ladies Fort, New York
4. [50:53] Outro with Michael Gregory Jackson: Heart & Center (with Julius Hemphill)
5. [57:54] Brooks Williams: You Don't Have To Tell Me. From Abstract Art (Harmonic Ranch, 2024) with Brooks Williams (AI modelled instruments Ableton Live, Pro Tools, VCV Rack)
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SET 3: Fire! [1:01:43]
1. [1:03:12] Fire! Orchestra: Echoes (excerpts). From Echoes (Rune Grammofon, 2023) with Fire!: Mats Gustafsson (flutes, baritone sax, conductor), Johan Berthling (double bass, electric bass), Andreas Werliin (drums), Fire! Orchestra, Per Texas Johansson (oboe), Christer Bothén (guembri), Juan Romero (berimbau, percussion), Joe McPhee (tenor saxophone), Jim O’Rourke (recording engineer, Atlantis)
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SET 4: Women with hammers [1:25:02]
1. [1:28:09.118 Julia Perry: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in Two Uninterrupted Speeds. From Maestra (Lorelt, 2025) with Samantha Ege (piano), Lontano Orchestra, Odaline da la Martinez (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1969, premiere recording
2. [1:39:28] Galina Ustvolskaya: Composition No. 1: Dona Nobis Pacem. From Preludes & Compositions (Megadisc Classics, 1994) with The St. Petersburg Soloists, Oleg Malov (piano, direction), Semen G. Shougal (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1970–71, premiered February 19, 1975 in Leningrad
3. [1:55:58] Outro with Julia Perry: Prelude for Strings (arr. Roger Zahab)
Photo credits: Nastasia Khrushcheva via Melodiya, Cy Twombly: Lepanto III via Intakt Records, Julia Perry via Rider University, Fire! (Johan Berthling, Mats Gustafsson, Andreas Werliin) by Johan Bergmark, Rune Glerup by Caroline Bittencourt, Alfred Schnittke via Seattle Chamber Music Society, Michael Gregory Jackson via the artist, Odaline de la Martinez via the artist, Myra Melford via Roulette Intermedium, Galina Ustvolskaya via Wikipedia.