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Michael Tippett’s last opera, New Year, is in the news, with its first revival since its premiere run of 1989–90, and its very first full recording via Martyn Brabbins and the BBC Singers and Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Our podcast looks past its wobbly Eurydice-meets-Weena libretto to focus on the colorful, unpredictable score which features an orchestra augmented by saxophones, electric guitar and electric bass, and a musical language that encompasses modernism, ska and stylized rap.
We also celebrate a rare duet recording by Terry Riley and Don Cherry for its 50th anniversary, sample new albums by Joe Morris, Jacqui Kerrod, Bruno Strobl, Gabriella Smith, the Simon Nabatov trio and the Satoko Fujii quartet, and close out the show with organ-centric chill music by Sarah Davachi and Klaus Lang. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally broadcast February 23, 2025.
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Flotation Device 2025-02-23: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Traveling the narrow way [0:00]
1. [1:39] Satoko Fujii Quartet: Metropolitan Expressway. From Dog Days of Summer (Libra, 2024) with Satoko Fujii Quartet: Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Satoko Fujii (piano), Hayakawa Takeharu (bass), Tatsuya Yoshida (drums), Naoto Sugahara (recording engineer, Orpheus Recording Studios)
2. [10:04] Simon Nabatov Trio: Plucky. From Assemblage (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2025) with Simon Nabatov (piano, live electronics), Mark Helias (bass), Tom Rainey (drums), David Stoller (recording engineer, Samurai Hotel Studio)
3. [12:48] Jacqueline Kerrod, Joe Morris: Jangling Travelers (excerpt). From Morpeth Contemporary 2024 (Relative Pitch, 2025) with Jacqueline Kerrod (harp), Joe Morris (guitar), Briann Dixon (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live May 18, 2024 at Morpeth Contemporary, Hopewell, NJ
4. [15:35] Bruno Strobl: Aus der Enge (excerpt). From Überwärts (Austrian Grammophon, 2024) with Koehne Quartett: Joanna Lewis, Anne Harvey-Nagl (violins), Lena Fankhauser (viola), Melissa Coleman (violoncello), Christoph Amann (recording engineer, Amann Studios)
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SET 2: A new year [25:42]
1. [29:21] Michael Tippett: New Year - Act 1 (excerpts). From New Year (NMC, 2025) with Jo Ann: Rhian Lois (soprano), Donny: Ross Ramgobin (baritone), Nan: Susan Bickley (mezzo-soprano), Merlin: Roland Wood (baritone), Pelegrin: Robert Murray (tenor), Regan: Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Presenter: Alan Oke (tenor), BBC Singers, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins (conductor), Dave Rowell (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1988, premiered 1989. First recording
2. [37:54] Michael Tippett: New Year - Act 2 (excerpts). From New Year (as above)
3. [44:17] Michael Tippett: New Year - Act 3 (excerpts). From New Year (as above)
4. [57:12] Outro with Karl-Birger Blomdahl: Aniara
5. [1:01:31] Gabriella Smith: Imaginary Pancake. From Dreamcatcher (Pentatone, 2025) with James McVinnie (piano), Liam Byrne (recording engineer)
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SET 3: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [1:09:31]
1. [1:11:41] Terry Riley: Descending Moonshine Dervishes (excerpts). From Terry Riley Don Cherry Duo (B.Free, 2017) with Terry Riley (keyboards), Don Cherry (donso ngoni). NOTE: Recorded live February 23, 1975 for the program "Nachtmusik im WDR" at Großer Sendesaal des WDR, Köln (Cologne)
2. [1:14:53] Don Cherry, Terry Riley: Köln Improvisation. From Live in Köln February 23, 1975 (Soul Research, 2019) with Don Cherry (trumpet), Terry Riley (keyboards)
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SET 4: Sounding light [1:27:08]
1. [1:29:52] Klaus Lang: tönendes licht (excerpts). From tönendes licht. (KAIROS, 2025) with Wolfgang Kogert (organ), Wiener Symphoniker, Peter Rundel (conductor), Friedrich Trondl (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2020 for organ and spatially distributed orchestra. Recorded 2020 at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna
2. [1:54:20] Outro with Sarah Davachi: Trio for a Ground
Photo credits: Bruno Strobl by Dieter Kulmer, Don Cherry and Terry Riley in 1970 via Terry Riley, Sarah Davachi via the artist, Sakhiwe Mkosana and Sarah Pring in New Year (Birmingham Opera Company) by Adam Fradgley, Gabriella Smith via the artist, Simon Nabatov by Florian Ross, Michael Tippett via Schott, Klaus Lang by Markus Sepperer, Satoko Fujii Quartet (Natsuki Tamura, Tatsuya Yoshida, SF, Hayakawa Takeharu) by Kazue Yokoi and Naoto Sugahara, Jacqueline Kerrod and Joe Morris via Morpeth Contemporary