Hear how composers Molly Herron (USA), Ryan Molloy (Ireland), Ambrose Field (England), and Judith Berkson (USA) take old songs and instrumentals and use them as a building skeleton for their own works. Sample a variety of contemporary works on Renaissance instruments, and medieval or classical melodies in an electronic landscape.
Listen to music from New York-based Molly Herron, a composer who works with new AND old instruments. Her piece “After Picforth” is inspired by the British composer Picforth (from the British Library manuscript 31390) and creates an alternate polyrhythmic landscape, which is played on three violas da gamba by Science Ficta. Then, from Irish composer Ryan Molloy, listen to a work featuring clarinet inspired by 13th century music and sean nós singing, all built over “Viderunt Omnes” by Perotin.
There’s also music by 15th century composer Guillaume Dufay as treated by English composer Ambrose Field. From the album, Being Dufay, Field takes recordings of tenor John Potter singing Dufay’s songs as source material and electronically alters them into layered soundscapes. Flip forward in time for an electronically-augmented vocal interpretation of Franz Schubert lieder by NYC-based composer, singer, and pianist Judith Berkson. Also, hear Korean-Amercian Bora Yoon’s arrangement of Hildegard von Bingen’s 12th Century melodies into her disorienting electronic sound-world. And more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4529, New Music Built On Old Music (First Aired 8/26/2021)
ARTIST: Duett Konzertant
WORK: Giles Farnaby: Air and Galliard (Giles Farnaby's Dreame) [1:00]
RECORDING: Courtly and Gallant Music for Two Guitars
SOURCE: CPO 999133
INFO: Available at Amazon.com, Spotify, Youtube Music
ARTIST: Penguin Café Orchestra
WORK: Giles Farnaby's Dreame [2:37]
RECORDING: Music from the Penguin Café
SOURCE: Editions EG #27
INFO: Available at penguincafe.com/penguinshop or try Amazon.com
ARTIST: Klaus Nomi
WORK: Henry Purcell: the cold song (Aria of the “Cold Genius” from Purcell’s 1691 opera “King Arthur") [4:01]
RECORDING: Youtube
SOURCE/INFO: youtube.com/watch?v=Uf6ViwumljY8/25/2021
ARTIST: Judith Berkson
WORK: Der Doppleganger [4:16]
RECORDING: Liederkreis II
SOURCE: Notice Recordings
INFO: https://noticerecordings.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Molly Herron and Science Ficta
WORK: After Picforth [3:29]
RECORDING: Molly Herron: Through Lines
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Recordings
INFO: https://mollyherron.bandcamp.com/album/through-lines
ARTIST: Ryan Molloy
WORK: Cantaireacht [6:05]
RECORDING: Molly Herron: Through Lines
SOURCE:CMC Ireland
INFO: https://cmcireland.bandcamp.com/album/new-music-new-ireland-3
ARTIST: Ambrose Field, feat. John Potter
WORK: Dufay: Je me complains [6:20]
RECORDING: Being Dufay
SOURCE: ECM 2071
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Bora Yoon
WORK: O pastor animarum [4:27]
RECORDING: Sunken Cathedral
SOURCE: Innova 880
INFO: innova.mu
ARTIST: The Dowland Project, feat. John Potter
WORK: John Dowland: Go Crystal Tears [4:27]
RECORDING: In Darkness Let Me Dwell
SOURCE: ECM 1697
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Akropolis Reed Quintet
WORK: David Biedenbender: Refraction II -Kyrie For Machaut [1:27]
RECORDING: The Space Between Us
SOURCE: Innova 969
INFO: innova.mu