Flotation Device bids farewell to Éliane Radigue with a look at her audacious and beautiful music built from complex, slowly-transforming drones. Our survey of her electronic landmarks of the 20th century and her acoustic compositions of the 21st emphasizes the importance of tantric Buddhism in her works, which often bear Tibetan titles and remind many listeners of the experience of deep meditation. Also on the docket are signature compositions by Murail and Stockhausen celebrating their 50th anniversaries. Plus Craig Taborn unveils a new trio, Gustavo Cortiñas debuts a new quartet and Fred Frith’s Gravity Band gets its first album twelve years after its only tour. A John Oswald plunderphonics etude for pianist Marc-André Hamelin rounds out the program. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell.
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Flotation Device 2026-03-08: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - PART ONE
Intro and SET 1: Frith, Stockhausen, Taborn [0:00]
1. [1:38] Fred Frith: Don't Cry For Me, The Hands of the Juggler, Killing Time. From Fred Frith and the Gravity Band (Klanggalerie, 2025) with Gravity Band: Kasey Knudsen (alto saxophone), Aaron Novik (clarinet), Kaethe Hofstetter (violin), Fred Frith (electric guitar, electric bass, piano), Ava Mendoza (electric guitar), Dominique Leone (pianos, keyboards), Marié Abe (accordion), Wobbly (samples, sounds), Lisa Mezzacappa (double bass, electric bass), Jordan Glenn (drums), William Winant (percussion), Myles Boisen (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live June 2014 in Nijmegen, Netherlands and Moers, Germany
2. [13:37] Karlheinz Stockhausen: Der Kleine Harlekin. From Harlekin (Deutsche Grammophon, 1978, reissued 1992 by Stockhausen-Verlag as Stockhausen Edition 25: Harlekin) with Suzanne Stephens (dancing clarinet), Karlheinz Stockhausen (sound projection), Klaus Hiemann (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1975, premiered with the larger Harlekin work on March 7, 1976 at WDR, Cologne, and first performed as a separate work August 3, 1977 at Centre Sirius, Aix-en-Provence (both by Stephens)
3. [22:05] Craig Taborn: Dream Archive (excerpts). From Dream Archives (ECM, 2026) with Craig Taborn (piano), Tomeka Reid (cello), Ches Smith (drums, vibraphone, percussion, electronics), Nick Lloyd (recording engineer, Firehouse 12)
SET 2: Analog Radigue [27:17]
Éliane Radigue: Excerpts from Trilogie de la mort (XI, 1998), Songs of Milarepa (Lovely Music, 1983), Adnos III (Important, 1980) and Jetsun Mila (Lovely Music, 1987) all reissued in Œuvres Électroniques (INAgrm, 2018). With Éliane Radigue (Arp 2500 synthesizer, recording), Robert Ashley (English voice), Lama Kunga Rinpoche (Tibetan voice). NOTE: Realized 1979 to 1993
1. [32:08] Éliane Radigue: Trilogie de la mort - 1. Kyema
2. [36:55] Éliane Radigue: Mila's Journey Inspired by a Dream
3. [44:10] Éliane Radigue: Adnos III
4. [49:35] Éliane Radigue: Practice, Visiting the Homeland, Retreat, Realization/Meditation, Death/Nirvana. From Jetsun Mila
5. [51:53] Éliane Radigue: Trilogie de la mort - 3. Koumé
6. [57:45] Outro with Tibetan Buddhist ritual orchestra, Maarphaa (मार्फा) Nepal. NOTE: Video at https://tinyurl.com/TibetanOrchestra
7. [1:01:17] Gustavo Cortiñas: The Basic Economic Farsity. From The Crisis Knows No Borders (Desafio Candente, 2025) with Jon Irabagon (tenor sax), Mark Feldman (violin), Dave Miller (guitar), Gustavo Cortiñas (drum set), Scott Steinman (recording engineer, Electrical Audio)
Flotation Device 2026-03-08: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell - PART TWO
SET 3: Piano plunderphonics [1:08:44]
1. [1:10:39] John Oswald: Tip. From Found Objects (Hyperion, 2025) with Marc-André Hamelin (piano), Oscar Torres (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2021
SET 4: Spectralism and acoustic Radigue [1:19:40]
1. [1:24:10] Tristan Murail: Mémoire/Erosion. From Tristan Murail: Mémoire/Erosion et al (Accord, 1992) with Alain Noël (horn), Ensemble L'Itinéraire, Charles Bruck (conductor), Jean-Pierre Pellissier (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 1976, premiered March 5, 1976, Orléans, France
Éliane Radigue: Excerpts from…
2. [1:41:50] Occam Delta XV [2021-11-09]. From Occam Delta XV (Collection QB, 2023) with Quatuor Bozzini: Alissa Cheung, Clemens Merkel (violin), Stéphanie Bozzini (viola), Isabelle Bozzini (cello). NOTE: Composed 2018
3. [1:47:49] Occam Delta II. From Occam Ocean 1 (Shiiin, 2017) with Carol Robinson (bass clarinet), Julia Eckhardt (viola), Rhodri Davies (harp). NOTE: Composed 2012
4. [1:53:41] Occam Océan II for orchestra. From Occam Ocean 2 (Shiiin, 2019) with Onceim: Jean Dousteyssier, Jean-Brice Godet, Joris Rühl, Julien Pontvianne, Xavier Charles (clarinets), Benjamin Dousteyssier, Bertrand Denzler, Carmen Lefrançois, Pierre-Antoine Badaroux, Stéphane Rives, Yoann Durant (saxophones), Louis Laurain (trumpet), Alexis Persigan (trombone), Jean Daufresne, Vianney Desplantes (euphoniums), Robin Hayward (tuba), Charlotte Hug, Julia Robert (viola), Patricia Bosshard (violins), Anaïs Moreau, Félicie Bazelaire (cellos), Benjamin Duboc, Fred Marty, Sébastien Beliah (double basses), Pierre Cussac (accordion), Giani Caserotto, Jean-Sébastien Mariage, Richard Comte (guitars), Akino Kamiya, Alvise Sinivia, Antonin Gerbal (percussion), Frédéric Blondy (conductor). NOTE: Premiered September 26, 2015 by Onceim at CRAK Festival, Paris. Video at https://youtu.be/DAWBuyzPwvg
5. [2:00:27] Outro with Éliane Radigue: Asymptote Versatile (1963–64)
Photo credits: John Oswald by the artist, Éliane Radigue in 1971 by Yves Arman, Éliane Radigue in 2021 by Eléonore Huisse and François J. Bonnet, Gustavo Cortiñas via the artist, Suzanne Stephens performing Harlekin, Craig Taborn Trio (CT, Tomeka Reid, Ches Smith) by Roberto Cifarelli, Fred Frith by Heike Liss, Tristan Murail via the artist.
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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