Stockhausen, Steve Reich, Gubaidulina—what a lineup! In the spotlight is the premiere recording of Reich's latest piece, Jacob's Ladder. We contrast its motoric depiction of the angelic stairway from Genesis with the more austere rendering in Schoenberg’s Die Jakobsleiter written a century earlier, as well as with Sofia Gubaidulina and John Eaton’s unconventional proclamations of Christian mysticism using synthesizers, voice and accordion. We also revisit Stockhausen’s Musik im Bauch for its 50th anniversary with a look at its more astrologically-oriented ritual that spawned the construction of 12 custom music boxes whose Zodiacal melodies became Stockhausen's most popular works. Carter, Scelsi, Ferneyhough and Globe Unity Orchestra also have golden anniversaries to celebrate, and we honor the centenary of Ivo Malec, the 90th birthday of Gordon Mumma and the 80th birthday of the late Hardy Fox of The Residents. New trio albums from Philip Zoubek and Oxygen round out the proceedings.
Global chart history
Top position held by this upload
Comments
Flotation Device 2025-03-30: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: Around and about, plus Gordon Mumma at 90 [0:00]
1. [1:55] Placebo Domingo: Rambo. From First Crash (Boomslang, 2025) with Philip Zoubek Trio: Philip Zoubek (synthesizer), David Helm (guitar, voice, effects), Dominik Mahnig (drums, recorder), Jan Philipp (recording engineer, Sunshine Studios)
2. [4:43] Globe Unity Special '75: Alexanders Marschbefehl. From Globe Unity Special Vol 1: Evidence (1976, FMP, reissued 1991 as Rumbling) with Globe Unity Orchestra: Steve Lacy (soprano saxophone), Evan Parker (soprano and tenor saxophone, musical saw), Gerd Dudek (tenor saxophone), Kenny Wheeler (trumpet), Albert Mangelsdorff, Paul Rutherford (trombones), Alexander von Schlippenbach (piano), Peter Kowald (double bass, tuba), Paul Lovens (percussion, strings, musical saw), Jost Gebers (recording engineer). NOTE: Composition by Misha Mengelberg. Recorded live March 31, 1975 at Workshop Freie Musik, Akademie der Künste, Berlin
3. [13:22] Gordon Mumma: Than Particle (excerpt). From Live-Electronic Music (Tzadik, 2002) with William Winant (percussion), Gordon Mumma (computer), Maggi Payne (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1985
4. [16:33] Gordon Mumma: The Dresden Interleaf 13 February 1945 (excerpt). From Studio Retrospect (Lovely Music, 2000). NOTE: Realized 1964 at the Cooperative Studio for Electronic Music, Ann Arbor. Premiered February 13, 1965 at ONCE Festival, Ann Arbor
5. [17:45] Gordon Mumma: Medium Size Monograph (excerpt). From Live-Electronic Music (Tzadik, 2002) with Robert Ashley, Gordon Mumma (piano-4-hands with cybersonic modification), George Cacioppo (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1963
6. [20:32] Ivo Perelman, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark: Carbon. From Oxygen (Mahakala, 2025) with Ivo Perelman (tenor saxophone), Joe McPhee (trombone, L channel), Ken Vandermark (baritone saxophone, R channel), Jim Clouse (recording engineer, Park West Studios)
⠀
SET 2: Ladders [25:15]
1. [29:59] Sofia Gubaidulina: Et exspecto, sonata for accordion (excerpts). From Silenzio, De Profundis, Et exspecto, In Erwartung (BIS, 1995) with Geir Draugsvoll (accordion). NOTE: Composed 1985
2. [35:29] Steve Reich: Jacob's Ladder. From Jacob's Ladder/Traveler's Prayer (Nonesuch, 2025) with Synergy Vocals: Tara Bungard, Micaela Haslam (sopranos), Benedict Hymas, Will Wright (tenors), New York Philharmonic: Robert Langevin, Mindy Kaufman (flutes), Robert Botti, John Upton (oboes), Anthony McGill, Barret Ham (clarinets), Frank Huang, Sheryl Staples (first violins), Qianqian Li, Lisa Eunsoo Kim (second violins), Rebecca Young, Cong Wu (violas), Carter Brey, Matthew Christakos (cellos), Eric Huebner (piano), Christopher S. Lamb, Daniel Druckman (percussion), Jaap van Zweden (conductor), Lawrence Rock (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2023, premiered October 5, 2023 by Synergy Vocals, New York Philharmonic, Jaap van Zweden at David Geffen Hall, New York. First recording
3. [54:39] Outro with Arnold Schoenberg: Die Jakobsleiter (Kent Nagano)
4. [58:35] Ivo Malec: Carillon Choral. From Sigma, Lumina, etc. (INA-GRM, 1981). NOTE: Realized 1981 at GRM, Paris
⠀
SET 3: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [1:09:23]
1. [1:12:34] Elliott Carter: Duo for Violin and Piano (excerpts). From Chamber Music (Auvidis Montaigne/Naïve, 1998) with Irvine Arditti (violin), Ursula Oppens (piano), Bob Harrison (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1973–74, premiered March 21, 1975 by Paul Zukofsky and Gilbert Kalish at Cooper Union, New York. C.f. Elliott Carter (1908–2012): Legacy of a Centenarian at https://ClassicalKing.org/
2. [1:17:25] Brian Ferneyhough: Sonatas for String Quartet (excerpts). From Complete Works for String Quartet & Trio (Aeon/Outhere, 2014) with Arditti Quartet: Irvine Arditti, Ashot Sarkissjan (violins), Ralf Ehlers (viola), Lucas Fels (cello). NOTE: Composed 1967, premiered March 23, 1975 at Royan, France
3. [1:22:32] Giacento Scelsi: Ohoi (The Creative Principles) for 16 strings. From Natura Renovatur (ECM, 2006) with Munich Chamber Orchestra, Christoph Poppen (conductor), Stephan Schellmann (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1966, premiered March 28, 1975 at Royan, France
⠀
SET 4: Music in the belly [1:31:02]
1. [1:35:09] Charles Bobuck: Banana Fanna. From Codgers on the Moon (Cryptic, 2012) with Hardy Fox AKA Charles Bobuck. NOTE: See http://www.schellsburg.com/Codgers.htm for more on this album
2. [1:36:36] John Eaton: Mass - Credo, Agnus Dei. From Mass, Blind Man's Cry, Concert Music for Solo Clarinet (CRI, 1972, reissued 2010 by New World) with Michiko Hirayama (soprano), William O. Smith (clarinet), Kalvert Nelson (reciter), John Eaton, Eugene O'Brien, Judith Martin (Syn-kets), Andrew Jarema (Syn-Mill), Jay Williams (Moog synthesizer), Wilson Allen (real-time tape recording and stereo effects), John Reeves White (conductor). NOTE: Composed 1970
3. [1:45:12] Karlheinz Stockhausen: Musik im Bauch (excerpts). From Musik im Bausch (Deutsche Grammophon, 1977, reissued 1992 by Stockhausen-Verlag as Stockhausen Edition 24: Tierkreis, Musik im Bauch) with Les Percussions de Strasbourg: Claude Ricou, Gabriel Bouchet, Georges Van Gucht, Jean Batigne, Jean-Paul Finkbeiner, Olivier Dejours (percussion), Reuge (music boxes), Karl-August Naegler (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1974, premiered March 28, 1975 by Les Percussions de Strasbourg at Royan, France
4. [1:54:38] Outro with Karlheniz Stockhausen: Capricorn (Oliver Knussen, Pascal Lefeuvre, Erik Baron)
Photo credits: Elliott Carter by Philippe Gontier, Steve Reich by Wonge Bergmann, Placebo Domingo (David Helm, Philip Zoubek, Dominik Mahnig) via the artists, Sofia Gubaidulina by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Hardy Fox in Theory of Obscurity, Stockhausen: Capricorn, Music im Bauch performed by Crossing 32nd Street, John Eaton and Syn-Ket via Simon Crab, Gordon Mumma via SEAMUS, Oxygen (Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, Ivo Perelman) via the artists, Ivo Malec via INA.