Our 50th anniversary exploration of Creative Orchestra Music 1976 brings us to the intersection of Stockhausen and the AACM as we revisit Anthony Braxton’s Composition No. 59 in both its original studio version and in a live performance recorded two years later in Stockhausen’s home city of Köln. Also joining us is Cecil Taylor, the ultimate “outside” pianist, via the just-released recording of his last public performance in 2016. We preview yMusic’s upcoming appearance in the Northwest and Seattle Opera’s new production of Gregory Spears' Fellow Travelers (the latter prompting a mini-review of opera history that gauges the present value of the Puccini lineage as we approach the centenary of his final opera Turandot). Lee Hoiby and Friedrich Cerha also have centenaries to observe. And new recordings of music by Sebastian Fagerlund, Charles Wuorinen, Theresa Wong, Frederic Rzewski, Yang Lingyuan, Gianluca Verlingieri, Uwalmassa and The Vex Collection round out the proceedings.
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Flotation Device 2026-02-15: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - PART ONE
Intro and SET 1: Cerha and Hoiby at 100 [0:00]
1. [2:11] Sebastian Fagerlund: Octet "Autumn Equinox" - 3. Agitato con forza ma espressivo. From Autumn Equinox (BIS, 2025) with Lapland Chamber Orchestra, John Storgårds (conductor), Martin Nagorni (recording engineer, Arcantus Musikproduktion). NOTE: Composed 2016, premiere recording
2. [7:48] Theresa Wong: A Ritual Begins, Perceiver of All Sounds (excerpts). From Journey to the Cave of Guanyin (Room40, 2025) with Theresa Wong (cello)
3. [9:35] Friedrich Cerha: Präludien 1, 7. From Complete Works for Organ (Kairos, 2026) with Wolfgang Kogert (organ), Robert Pavlecka (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2011–12
4. [11:57] Frederic Rzewski: Nanosonatas 5, 2. From Nanosonatas (Passacaille, 2025) with Daan Vandewalle (piano), Yannick Willox (recording engineer, Acoustic Recording Service). NOTE: Composed 2006–10, premiere recording
5. [17:34] Friedrich Cerha: Inventionen 3, 2. From Complete Works for Organ (credits as above). NOTE: Composed 2011
6. [21:19] Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 59. From Creative Orchestra Music 1976 (Arista, 1976, reissued 2008 by Mosaic on The Complete Arista Recordings of Anthony Braxton). Solos: Roscoe Mitchell (alto saxophone), Anthony Braxton (sopranino sax). Ensemble: Anthony Braxton (sopranino saxophone, clarinet, contrabass clarinet), Roscoe Mitchell (alto, soprano and bass saxophone), Seldon Powell (flute), Ronald Bridgewater (clarinet), Bruce Johnstone (bass clarinet), Kenny Wheeler, Cecil Bridgewater, Jon Faddis, Wadada Leo Smith (trumpets), George Lewis, Garrett List (trombone), Earl McIntyre (bass trombone), Jonathan Dorn (tuba), Dave Holland (cello), Muhal Richard Abrams (conductor), Tony May (recording engineer)
7. [28:02] Voice break with Giacomo Puccini: Turandot, Lee Hoiby: Summer and Smoke and Gregory Spears: Fellow Travelers
SET 2: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [34:27]
1. [35:45] Lingyuan Yang: Bloodstain. From Cursed Month (Chaospace, 2025) with Lingyuan Yang (guitar, electronics), Shinya Lin (piano), Asher Herzog (drums), Zijie Li (recording engineer)
2. [41:22] Charles Wuorinen: Spin 5 - 1. Cadenza, 2. Aria. From Megalith (Bright Shiny Things, 2015) with Alexi Kenney (solo violin), The Spin Fivers: Barry Crawford (flute), Stephen Taylor (oboe), Alan R. Kay (clarinet), Rebekah Heller (bassoon), Zohar Schondorf, David Byrd-Marrow (horns), Brandon Ridenour (trumpet), Marshall Gilkes (trombone), Dan Peck (tuba), Dov Scheindlin, Caeli Smith (violas), Eric Bartlett, Sophie Shao (cellos), Greg Chudzik (contrabass), June Han (harp), Steven Beck (piano), Mike Truesdell (marimba, bass drum), Sae Hashimoto (vibraphone, guiro), James Baker (conductor), Ryan Streber (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2006, premiere recording
Flotation Device 2026-02-15: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - PART TWO
3. [46:42] Anthony Braxton: Composition No. 59. From Creative Orchestra (Köln) 1978 (Hat Hut, 1995). Solos: Marty Ehrlich (sopranino saxophone), Dwight Andrews (soprano saxophone). Ensemble: Dwight Andrews, Marty Ehrlich, Vinny Golia, J.D. Parran, Ned Rothenberg (saxophones, clarinets, flutes, piccolo, nagaswaram, ocarina), Rob Howard, Michael Mossman, Wadada Leo Smith, Kenny Wheeler (trumpets, flugelhorn), Ray Anderson, George Lewis, James King Roosa (trombones, tuba), Marilyn Crispell (piano), Birgit Taubhorn (accordion), Bobby Naughton (vibraphone), James Emery (electric guitar), John Lindberg, Brian Smith (basses), Thurman Barker (percussion, marimba), Robert Ostertag (synthesizer), Anthony Braxton (conductor). NOTE: Recorded live May 12, 1978 at Grosser Sendesaal, WDR Köln, West Germany
4. [58:01] Outro with Karlheinz Stockhausen: Stop
5. [1:01:00] Gabriella Smith: Tessellations. From Ecstatic Science (New Amsterdam, 2020) with yMusic: Alex Sopp (flutes, vocals), Hideaki Aomori (clarinets), CJ Camerieri (trumpet, horn), Rob Moose (violin, guitar), Nadia Sirota (viola), Gabriel Cabezas (cello), Alejandro Venguer (recording engineer)
SET 3: Coming up in Seattle [1:05:25]
1. [1:07:21] Sufjan Stevens: Year of the Dragon. From Enjoy Your Rabbit (Asthmatic Kitty, 2001) with Sufjan Stevens (performance), Liz Janes (vocals), Mannar Wong (Chinese vocals), Tom Eaton (trumpet)
2. [1:16:48] Cecil Taylor: The last bandstand Part 1 (excerpts). From Words and Music the last bandstand (Fundacja Słuchaj, 2026) with Cecil Taylor (piano), Harri Sjöström (soprano saxophone, sopranino), Okkyung Lee (cello), Tony Oxley (electronics), Jackson Krall (drums). NOTE: Recorded live April 23, 2016 at Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
SET 4: Four Songs for a Mad Cecil Taylor [1:28:14]
1. [1:31:04] Mat Muntz: The Bagslinger. From The Vex Collection (Carrier, 2022) with Gamin (piri, taepyeongso), Matthew Welch (great highland bagpipe), Mat Muntz (contrabass, creski meh, Micro-Aulos, Neo-Carnyx, Bombard, Dozaleh), Vicente Hansen Atria (drum set, jing, Kkwaenggari, live electronics, Neo-Carnyx), Ben Rice (recording engineer)
2. [1:39:20] Uwalmassa: Tilik. From Malar (DIVISI 62, 2022) with Harsya Wahono, Randy Pradipta, Pujangga Rahseta
3. [1:41:48] Gianluca Verlingieri: Four Songs for a Mad Composer. From Musica Ritrovata (NEOS, 2021) with Quartetto Lyskamm. NOTE: Composed 2015, premiere recording
4. [1:47:31] Cecil Taylor: Autumn Parade (excerpt). From The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert at The Town Hall NYC November 4, 1973 (Oblivion, 2022) with Cecil Taylor (piano), Jimmy Lyons (alto saxophone), Andrew Cyrille (percussion), Sirone (bass), Fred Seibert (recording engineer)
5. [1:56:02] Outro with Cecil Taylor: Spring of Two Blue-J's
Photo credits: Matthew Welch via the artist, Uwalmassa (Harsya Wahono, Pujangga Rahseta, Randy Pradipta) via the artists, Anthony Braxton rehearsing Creative Orchestra Music 1976 by Bill Smith, Sebastian Fagerlund by Sirpa Räihä, Cecil Taylor in Chrystel Egal and Alain Kirili: IFA, Charles Wuorinen By Javier Del Real, yMusic (Mark Dover, CJ Camerieri, Alex Sopp, Gabriel Cabezas, Nadia Sirota, Rob Moose) by Shervin Lainez, Friedrich Cerha and Wolfgang Kogert by Daniel Auer, Theresa Wong by Peter Gannushkin.
Flotation Device features creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, Sunday nights 10pm–Midnight Pacific Time on 91.3 KBCS-FM Bellevue/Seattle/Tacoma. Visit us online at https://linktr.ee/MichaelSchell