#4675, Unusual Approaches to the Orchestra
Listen to works where orchestras are deployed in untraditional ways in music by American composer Viet Cuong using tuned wine glasses; American composer Robert Moran played as softly as possible and conducted in the round; and John Luther Adams consisting of five discreet pieces for five different groupings of players, stacked differently and sometimes incorporating outdoor sounds as well.
Hear excerpts from Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer John Luther Adams’ work, Sila: Breath of the World, a work consisting of five discreet pieces played by five different groups, designed to be stacked, perhaps outdoors, in a grand landscape – like that of the concourse between Juilliard and the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center, perhaps as happened at the 2014 premiere - and will sound different each time it is played due to the surroundings. The title of the piece, Sila, is an Inuit word that means “forces of nature”, but also “the spirit / consciousness behind nature”. The performers in this recording are JACK Quartet, The Crossing choir, and percussionists and musicians from the University of Michigan, conducted by Doug Perkins.
Also listen to American composer Viet Cuong’s percussion concerto quartet, “Re(new)al “ for Sandbox Percussion, which opens with tuned toasting patterns. Each member of Sandbox holds two crystal glasses each and clinks, like a “cheers” before moving on to compressed air cans and more traditional percussion of snare drum and vibraphone. Then, there’s music by American composer Robert Moran, where the conductor leads the orchestra from within a circle, with practically all of the piece played as softly as the musicians can be.
Program #4675, Unusual Approaches to the Orchestra (First aired 10/25/2022)
ARTIST: The Crossing choir, JACK Quartet and musicians and percussionists from the University of Michigan; cond. Doug Perkins
WORK: John Luther Adams: Sila: The Breath of the World [1:05]
RECORDING: Sila: The Breath of the World
SOURCE: Cantaloupe Music
INFO: https://cantaloupemusic.com/albums/sila-breath-of-world
ARTIST: Sandbox Percussion, Curtis Symphony Orchestra, cond. Sarah Ioannides
WORK: Viet Cuong: Re(new)al [10:05]
RECORDING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpLWeDjlRt0
SOURCE/INFO: http://vietcuongmusic.com
ARTIST: The Crossing choir, JACK Quartet and musicians and percussionists from the University of Michigan; cond. Doug Perkins
WORK: John Luther Adams: Sila: The Breath of the World [5:41]
RECORDING: Sila: The Breath of the World
SOURCE: Cantaloupe Music
INFO: https://cantaloupemusic.com/albums/sila-breath-of-world
ARTIST: Chrismos Ensemble, conducted by Alexander Hermann
WORK: Robert Moran: Circles of Iron (after Meister Eckhard) [15:56]
RECORDING: Private Recording
SOURCE: This performance not commercially available
INFO: https://www.ascending-voices.de
ARTIST: The Crossing choir, JACK Quartet and musicians and percussionists from the University of Michigan; cond. Doug Perkins
WORK: John Luther Adams: Sila: The Breath of the World [6:59]
RECORDING: Sila: The Breath of the World
SOURCE: Cantaloupe Music
INFO: https://cantaloupemusic.com/albums/sila-breath-of-world
