Experience music with the perspective of watching Earth, with works by Meredith Monk, Felipe Pérez Santiago, Kate Bush, and a work in tribute to the astronaut Scott Kelly from harpist Mary Lattimore.
Listen to a piece by Mary Lattimore, dedicated to astronaut Scott Kelly (who spent a year on the international Space Station), for harp and electronics. Lattimore explains that she was inspired by the American astronaut’s unique perspective and singular solitude as he was orbiting, watching, and doing his social media updates on his orange zinnia (#spaceflower), aerial shots of great rivers and their curious zig-zags (#earthart), a moon rise, and an aurora borealis.
There’s also music by Mexican/Dutch composer Felipe Pérez Santiago, inspired by the work of astronomer Jill Tarter, the co-founder and former director of the SETI Institute (search for extraterrestrial intelligence.) Written for a project by the Austin-based composers’ lab, Golden Hornet, Felipe Pérez Santiago’s “Quest” is one of a series of works for amplified cello and electronics, performed by former Kronos Quartet member cellist Jeffrey Zeigler.
Then, hear music by British art-rocker Kate Bush along with music from Meredith Monk's travelogue opera, Atlas. There’s also music by numün, who combine the interlocking patterns of Gamelan Dharma Swarma with the ambient atmospherics of the band SUSS, from an album called voyage au soleil (Voyage to the Sun.) Listen to a work that weaves in the tapes from the moon landing of 1969, “tranquility base.” Plus, listen to vibraphone-based music by Masayoshi Fujita, and more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4404, Earth, Seen From Above (First aired 9/04/2020)
ARTIST: Meredith Monk
WORK: Earth Seen From Above [1:00]
RECORDING: Atlas
SOURCE: ECM Records #1491 / 1492
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: numün
WORK: tranquility base [8:22]
RECORDING: voyage au soleil
SOURCE: Musique Impossible
INFO: music.joelmellin.com
ARTIST: Kate Bush
WORK: Hello Earth [6:10]
RECORDING: Hounds of Love
SOURCE: Capitol Records
INFO: Available at Amazon.com or on Spotify
ARTIST: Vangelis
WORK: Albedo 0.39 [4:22]
RECORDING: Albedo 0.39
SOURCE: Windham Hill Records, Reissued BMG
INFO: Available at Amazon.com or on Spotify
ARTIST: Meredith Monk
WORK: Earth Seen From Above [7:34]
RECORDING: Atlas
SOURCE: ECM Records #1491 / 1492
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Mary Lattimore
WORK: For Scott Kelly, Returned to Earth [6:07]
RECORDING: Returned To Earth
SOURCE: Soap Library cassette
INFO: marylattimoreharpist.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Masayoshi Fujita
WORK: Spaceship Magical [4:04]
RECORDING: Erased Tapes: 1+1=X
SOURCE: Erased Tapes
INFO: erasedtapes.com
ARTIST: Golden Hornet featuring Jeffrey Zeigler
WORK: Felipe Perez Santiago: Quest [8:27]
RECORDING: The Sound of Science
SOURCE: National Sawdust
INFO: nationalsawdust.bandcamp.com