In advance of his New Sounds Live commission, “Song of the Human," at Brookfield Place, English composer Pete M. Wyer visits John Schaefer to present his work for both birdsong and human voices. They’re also joined by Shigeru Miyagawa, the MIT Professor of Linguistics whose theory that human speech evolved in part from birdsong is one of the major inspirations behind the work.
“Song of the Human” is both a concert work, featuring The Crossing choir, and a sound installation, intended to recreate the dawn chorus of birds in an English forest about an hour before sunrise. Wyer made 18 simultaneous recordings around Cornwall, which will be played back via carefully arranged speakers all throughout Brookfield Place to give a visitor to the space as immersive a sense as possible of what the dawn chorus is truly like. Within this sound experience the listener is meant to “consider the human as part of nature as well as the nature of being human,” and “what we share in music when we abandon words.” The Crossing Choir performs the concert work within the installation, “Song of the Human,” tomorrow night, Wednesday, October 12, 2016, at 7:30PM.
PROGRAM #3910, with Pete M. Wyer and Shigeru Miyagawa (First Aired 10-11-2016)
ARTIST: The Crossing
WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Song of the Human, excerpt [1:30]
RECORDING: Private rehearsal recording
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: www.pmwmusic.com
ARTIST: Maren Montalbano (of The Crossing) and Daniel Neer
WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Numinous City – Green Tara Mantra [5:04]
RECORDING: Live from the Rubin Museum 2011
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: www.pmwmusic.com
ARTIST: Pete M. Wyer
WORK: London Dawn Chorus (birdsong) excerpt, ambient loop [2:51]
RECORDING: Private rehearsal recording
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: www.pmwmusic.com
ARTIST: The Crossing
WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Song of the Human, excerpt [3:11]
RECORDING: Private rehearsal recording
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: www.pmwmusic.com
ARTIST: Pete M. Wyer
WORK: Pete M. Wyer: Four Bridges, excerpt [6:38]
RECORDING: Private rehearsal recording
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available.
INFO: www.pmwmusic.com
ARTIST: John Luther Adams
WORK: Mourning Dove [4:08]
RECORDING: Songbirdsongs
SOURCE: Opus One #66 (LP); LP, out of print.
INFO: Another recording of the piece is on Centaur #2273, available at arkivmusic.com
ARTIST: Roger Doyle, with Ellen Demos, vocals
WORK: Bright Bennu Bird [4:26]
RECORDING: Roger Doyle : Frail Things in Eternal Places
SOURCE/INFO: rogerdoyle1.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: John Luther Adams
WORK: Woodthrush, excerpt [3:14]
RECORDING: Songbirdsongs
SOURCE: Opus One #66 (LP); LP, out of print.
INFO: Another recording of the piece is on Centaur #2273, available at arkivmusic.com