Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

Live performances by NOW Ensemble, Victoire, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and More

“As Q2 Music prepares to go all-American Mavericks all the time next month, we’ve been doing a lot of listening to Varèse, Copland, Harrison, Cage, Monk and more. But while we’ve been excited to see the return of a concert series given in 2000 by Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, we can’t help but think of the new mavericks.

So taking as a springboard the styles of our 20th-century Mavericks, we’re looking today at in-concert recordings from composers who in this century challenge and redefine the way music is created and consumed.

There are nods to the greats of the past (such as Sergei Prokofiev’s grandson, Gabriel Prokofiev), but the present has a mightily different face. We’ll hear from Missy Mazzoli’s rockstar quintet Victoire live at Chelesea’s Look and Listen Festival, blending the lines between rock and classical (we’ll hear more to that end with music from Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood). And we’ll hit up the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center for a trio by juggernaut composer Kevin Puts.

There will also be hints of social consciousness in by the NOW Ensemble of Judd Greenstein’s Change and Ensemble 212 of Tahrir by Mohammed Fairouz, and selections from concert series like the Ecstatic Music Festival and SONiC. All told, various threads of the contemporary zeitgeist will weave together in two hours of musical bliss.”

This edition of Cued Up is hosted by Olivia Giovetti

Olivia Giovetti

I wish to again remind readers that rthey can still access, enjoy and learn from the original American Public Media radio project American Mavericks.

While Minnesota Public Radio has taken down most of the audio, you can still access the text materials.

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

Works by Tristan Perich, Michael Gordon, Ingram Marshall, and more.

“It’s the 21st Century and it’s pretty safe to say that there’s no shortage of composers today who have been inspired by the sounds of electronic music, whether through the tape collages of Stockhausen and Xenakis, the electroacoustic manipulations of Pauline Oliveros, or the beat-driven textural experiments of lap-top sample-ists like Flying Lotus and DJ Shadow.

This week on Cued Up, we’ll be exploring live performances of acoustic and electroacoustic music that take on the sonic quality of electronic music. We’ll hear works by Tristan Perich and Todd Reynolds that pair live strings with electronics, and Ingram Marshall’s seminal Fog Tropes II. Alarm Will Sound offers a startlingly fresh take on The Beatles’ Revolution #9 and the Young People’s Chorus of New York and Kronos Quartet accent the other-worldly textures of Michael Gordon’s Exalted.

The program will also feature two brand-new live recordings that blur the lines between acoustic and electronic from So Percussion’s Jason Treuting (taken from a live show at The Greene Space in February 2012) and composer/Slow Six bandmember Christopher Tignor, recorded at this year’s Ecstatic Music Festival.

This week Cued Up is hosted by Olivia Giovetti

Olivia Giovetti

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

The Fierce Champion of New-Music, Violinist Mary Rowell, Joins Q2 Music
Sunday, February 05, 2012

“This Sunday, February 5 at 2 pm ET, the co-founder and former violinist of the string quartet ETHEL lends her voice to the internet airwaves to share two hours-worth of her favorite New York City in-concert recordings. Featured composers include Jefferson Friedman, Christine Southworth, Caleb Burhans, Julia Wolfe, among others.

Considered by critics to be one of the most important and exciting performers on the contemporary scene today, the violinist Mary Rowell cannot be classified. Known for her work with the Grammy Award-winning Tango Project, the indie band The Silos and pop icon Joe Jackson, she has carved an indelible place in the contemporary classical music world with the post-classical quartet ETHEL.

Rowell has appeared as violin and electric violin soloist with the National Symphony, Houston Symphony, New York Chamber Orchestra, and Warsaw Philharmonic, among others and has stunned the dance world with her solo electric violin performances of Richard Einhorn’s Maxwell’s Demon. Rowell is an ensemble member of the Tribeca New Music Festival specializing in the “Avante-Pop” and is half of the experimental Americana duo BRIM with composer/performer Eve Beglarian.

A graduate of the Juilliard School, she is currently the concertmaster of both the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra and the Palm Beach Pops.

This edition of Cued Up is hosted by Mary Rowell.

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

Live Performances by Wordless Music Orchestra, Brooklyn Rider, JACK Quartet, and More
Sunday, January 29, 2012

“There’ll be no shortage of Philip Glass news in 2012. This year will feature the touring revival of his seminal opera Einstein on the Beach. And on January 31, the game-changing American music icon will celebrate his 75th birthday with the U.S. premiere of his Symphony No. 9 by the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

Philip Glass

This week’s Cued Up features in-concert recordings of Glass’s work taken from the last two years. We’ll open with a mesmerizing 2010 performance of his Two Etudes by pianist Bruce Brubaker, and hear energetic live takes of his Suite from Bent by string quartet Brooklyn Rider (chosen by (Le) Poisson Rouge as one of the venue’s favorite live performance of 2011) and String Quartet No. 5 by the JACK Quartet.

In addition, the program features the New York-premiere of Glass’s homage to David Bowie—Symphony No. 4 Heroes—as performed by Brad Lubman and the Wordless Music Orchestra at the New York Society of Ethical Culture in May 2011.

We’ll also hear two pieces by Glass’s disciple Nico Muhly: Brubaker’s 2011 performance of Drones and Piano at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival and Wish You Were Here from the 2011 Ecstatic Music Festival (on a related note, remember to check out Q2 Music’s Ecstatic Music 2012 Preview this Wednesday, February 1 at 7 pm).”

See the full article here.

This week, Cued Up on Q2 is hosted by Olivia Giovetti

Olivia Giovetti

Gity Razaz

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

Composers share the secrets behind their work
Sunday, January 15, 2012

“n this age of ultimate freedom in creating art, the inspiration and creative process for a piece of music can be just as fascinating as the end product. Composers these days find their inspiration in pretty much anything—from an architectural shape to subway noise, and while they might seem like shy creatures, most of them (including myself) love to share the madness “behind the scenes.”

This week’s Cued-Up, which airs Sunday at 2 pm, features a handful of composers who will share their secrets, from musical ingredients to the meaning behind titles of some of their works recorded live here in New York City.

We’ll hear Gavin Bryars introduce his The Sinking of Titanic—a work that leaves abstract concert music behind to embrace an old memory—and listen to Jacob T.V. discuss the process behind his mesmerizing and kinetic 3rd string. We’ll also hear from Nico Muhly, Michael Gordon, and Steve Reich, sharing their thoughts on some of their most captivating works.”

The page is here.

Cued Up is hosted by Gity Razaz

Gity Razaz

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2
Intriguing New-Music Works for Chamber Ensembles

“Chamber music carries a unique charm that’s not always as easily experienced while listening to a large-scale orchestral work. The intimate setting of performance creates a close bond between performers and the listener. This week on Cued Up we’ll keep warm from the cold winter weather with compelling chamber music by an assortment of contemporary composers.

This Sunday at 2 p.m. (with repeats Tuesday at 8 p.m. and Thursday at 4 p.m.) join us as we explore the genre of string quartet—one of the most popular chamber ensembles and a favorite of many composers—with Terry Riley’s Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector and Jefferson Friedman’s String Quartet No. 3.

The program will also feature compositions for other forms of chamber ensembles by Judd Greenstein, Aaron Jay Kernis, Sebastian Currier, and David Adam Smith, among others. “

The page is here. Sorry, it went up on RSS too late for a more prompt post. But the material will be re streamed as above, and, probably, archived.

Cued Up is hosted by Gity Razaz

Gity Razaz

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

“Reflecting on 2011 and Stepping into the New Year
Sunday, December 25, 2011

This year was filled with countless, captivating moments of music-making around New York City, from solo recitals at intimate, dimly lit venues to international ensembles making splashy debuts at major institutions. Join us for this special holiday episode of Cued Up as we pay homage to the waning moments of 2011 with live in-concert recordings of music about remembrance, commemoration and reflection.

Featured live performance include pianist Alexei Lubimov’s compelling and mysterious Valentin Silvestrov and C.P.E. Bach from Lincoln Center’s Kaplan Penthouse, members of the Wordless Music Orchestra performing Ingram Marshall for a September 11 memorial concert at the Metropolitan Museum, and Crash Ensemble playing music of Donnacha Dennehy at (Le) Poisson Rouge.

Thanks for tuning into Cued Up this year, and we’re looking forward to 2012 and renewing our commitment to bringing you the most beautiful, curated assortment of music from cutting-edge venues, passionate, young musicians and vibrant composers!”

[I got his late; you can catch the repeat streams Tuesday or Thursday.]

See the full article here.

Cued Up is hosted by Gity Razaz

Gity Razaz

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

Celebrating A Shimmering Array of Musical Commissions
Sunday, December 18, 2011

(Tim Baker/flickr)

For young composers, getting commissioned is a momentous occasion that calls for celebration.

“Whether the composer is commissioned for a colleague’s flute recital or a full-on and fully-spotlit concerto for a major symphony orchestra, the idea of a “commission” puts the composer in a different mindset. The work is no longer the fruit of seemingly infinite hours of solitary work subject to recurring doubts and recriminations, but an ongoing collaboration between composer and performer. One can even venture further to say that for many composers, the first musical ideas emerge from knowing the performers as friends, musicians or just human beings.

This Sunday, we salute commissions and the performers and ensembles that have sought new music from adventurous composers. Join us at 2 p.m. as we celebrate commissioned works by Maria Schneider, Matthias Pintscher, Arvo Pärt, David Lang, Chris Kapica, and others.”

This page originates here.

Cued Up is hosted by Gity Razaz

Gity Razaz

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

Stories Both Historical and Imagined That Have Inspired Great New-Music
Sunday, December 11, 2011

“This week’s Cued Up revolves around fables and tales. Whether fictional or factual, these stories have stayed with us through years and across cultures. Dozens of these stories have come to define our persona, culture, and perhaps even our race.

Tune in this Sunday at 2 pm, as we explore music that embraces our past through the power of folklore, oral histories and defining societal moments. We listen to Achille’s Heel by Colin Jacobsen, a quartet with a double reference to the ancient Greek mythology and the downfall of all that was once robust, as well as to Debussy’s middle name (the piece doesn’t fail to evoke moments of distant familiarity with Debussy’s quartet).

Other works include William Bolcom’s The Serpent’s Kiss, Gavin Bryars’s The Sinking of the Titanic, David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion, as well as other poignant, referential works.”

Cued Up is hosted by Gity Razaz

Gity Razaz

Cued Up On Q2 streams Sundays at 2PM on Q2; encores Tuesdays at 8PM and Thursdays at 4PM on Q2

Sorry, this did not go up on RSS feed until 2:58PM. But, you know, it will be there, whenever you want it.

The History of Chamber Symphonies: Explicit and Imagined
Sunday, October 30, 2011

John Adams

“Concert music is perhaps one of the few art forms that is born purely of abstraction. Each composition demands the composer construct a new world with its own set of rules and regulations. The composition becomes the sole portal into this new sonic universe, through which we get a glimpse of the artist’s vision. However, some pieces come with a history, and, while entirely original and independent, connect with the audience somewhat differently. The experience of listening becomes filled with discovery of the new and surprises of sensing familiar traces.

This Sunday we’ll start with John Adams’s Son of Chamber Symphony, a thrilling work that comes with its own considerable lineage. Composed in 2007 for the ensemble Alarm Will Sound, the work follows the footsteps of its predecessor, Chamber Symphony of 1992, a piece that itself is a response to Arnold Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony, Op. 9. Following the Adams, we’ll listen to Paul Chihara’s own Chamber Symphony.

Alarm Will Sound

We’ll finish the program with Jason Treuting’s Oblique Music for 4 Plus (Blank) as recorded live at Miller Theatre, a work that while bearing no immediate connection to the other pieces on the program, nonetheless lulls the ear into a familiar space (the piece starts beautifully and reminiscent of something decelerated and almost Gershwinesque!) as it wistfully offers a few dim glimpses of the opening Adams.

The original post is here.

This edition of Cued Up is hosted by Gity Razaz

Gity Razaz