#4321: Variations on Koyaanisqatsi
Almost 40 years ago, filmmaker Godfrey Reggio and composer Philip Glass collaborated on the film Koyaanisqatsi, named for a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance." The non-narrative silent film, full of time-lapse images of modern life - footage of an L.A. freeway and LAX, the demolition of a housing project in St. Louis, as well as people and traffic in NYC – is probably thought of in tandem with the propulsive score by Philip Glass. It was first of three silent films by Godfrey Reggio with scores by Philip Glass in the so-called Qatsi trilogy, which includes Powaqqatsi and Naquoyqatsi.
For this New Sounds, hear some of the Glass score for Koyaanisqatsi – along with alternative soundtracks from GoGo Penguin and Courtney Hartman. Listen to the long centerpiece, “The Grid” from the Philip Glass score, along with “Vessels.” Then, from the hybrid jazz-electronica trio GoGo Penguin from Manchester, listen to music from their sonic experiment of the live soundtrack to the 1982 film. It’s from their EP, Ocean in a Drop, whose title nods to a quote from 13th-century Sufi scholar Rumi: “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.” Plus, listen to a tune by singer, songwriter, and guitarist Courtney Hartman who has musical roots in the bluegrass world. Her song, “Koyaanisqatsi” came out an experience rewriting a live score with OneBeat for the film.
Program #4321: Variations on Koyaanisqatsi (First aired 1/23/2020)
ARTIST: Philip Glass Ensemble
WORK: Philip Glass: Koyaanisqatsi [1:30]
RECORDING: Koyaanisqatsi (1998)
SOURCE: Nonesuch 79506
INFO: nonesuch.com
ARTIST: Philip Glass Ensemble, feat. Western Wind Vocal Ensemble
WORK: Philip Glass: Vessels [8:06]
RECORDING: Koyaanisqatsi
SOURCE: Orange Mountain Music 58
INFO: orangemountainmusic.com
ARTIST: GoGo Penguin
WORK: Ocean in a Drop [4:19]
RECORDING: Ocean in a Drop (Music for Film)
SOURCE: Universal Music Group / Decca France / Blue Note
INFO: https://gogopenguin.lnk.to/OceanInADropWE
ARTIST: Courtney Hartman
WORK: Koyaanisqatsi [4:09]
RECORDING: Ready Reckoner
SOURCE: courtneyhartman.com/store
INFO: http://www.2lin.cc/readyreckoner
ARTIST: GoGo Penguin
WORK: Four Corners [4:29]
RECORDING: Ocean in a Drop (Music for Film)
SOURCE: Universal Music Group / Decca France / Blue Note
INFO: https://gogopenguin.lnk.to/OceanInADropWE
ARTIST: Philip Glass Ensemble
WORK: Philip Glass:The Grid [18:06]
RECORDING: Koyaanisqatsi
SOURCE: Orange Mountain Music 58
INFO: orangemountainmusic.com
ARTIST: GoGo Penguin
WORK: Four Corners [2:50]
RECORDING: Ocean in a Drop (Music for Film)
SOURCE: Universal Music Group / Decca France / Blue Note
INFO: https://gogopenguin.lnk.to/OceanInADropWE
