#4271, Music That Looks to the Skies
Listen to works that look to the skies in space, in music by Terry Riley for Kronos Quartet, Annie Gosfield, and Morton Subotnick.
Hear music for string quartet and "space sounds" (plasma waves) that NASA had collected from the Voyager probes from founding minimalist composer and performer Terry Riley. Listen to two excerpts from his long-form work, “Sun Rings” written with the Kronos Quartet and NASA. In addition to recordings from various NASA satellites, Riley included a part for chorus, featuring San Francisco-based choir, Volti, meant to embody "the voice of humanity in its struggle to understand the meaning of our place in this unfathomable universe" (Nonesuch journal.)
Also, listen to a work by Annie Gosfield for violin and the sounds of satellites, plus radio waves emitted in the upper atmosphere. There’s music from Lois V. Vierk, inspired by upper atmosphere lightning events – blue jets and red sprites.
Plus, listen to an early example of totally digital computer music by pioneering electronic music composer Morton Subotnick. It’s his “Return, A Triumph of Reason” written to celebrate the reappearance over time of Haley’s Comet.
Program #4271, Music That Looks to the Skies (First aired 9/4/2019)
ARTIST: Jennifer Choi, violin
WORK: Annie Gosfield: Lost Signals and Drifting Satellites [1:00]
RECORDING: Violectrica
SOURCE: Out of print
INFO: jenniferchoi.com/bio
ARTIST: Kronos Quartet and Volti Chorus
WORK: Terry Riley: Earth-Whistlers [10:05]
RECORDING: Sun Rings
SOURCE: Nonesuch 587972
INFO: nonesuch.com
ARTIST: Michael McNabb
WORK: Orbital View [4:09]
RECORDING: Computer Music
SOURCE: 1750 Arch records
INFO: Out of print. But try Amazon.com or auction sites
ARTIST: Jennifer Choi, violin
WORK: Annie Gosfield: Lost Signals and Drifting Satellites [8:16]
RECORDING: Violectrica
SOURCE: Out of print
INFO: jenniferchoi.com/bio
ARTIST: Morton Subotnick
WORK: Return, A Triumph of Reason, end of part 1 [8:29]
RECORDING: The Key to Songs / Return
SOURCE: New Albion Records
INFO: Available at Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon.com
ARTIST: Kronos Quartet
WORK: Terry Riley: Planet-Elf-Sindoori [7:48]
RECORDING: Sun Rings
SOURCE: Nonesuch 587972
INFO: nonesuch.com
ARTIST: Guy Klucevsek
WORK: Lois V Vierk: Blue Jets Red Sprites, excerpt [5:51]
RECORDING: Free-Range Accordion
SOURCE: Starkland Records
INFO: starkland.bandcamp.com
