In this podcast we showcase avant-rock from Spinifex, East-meets-West from DoYeon Kim and Brandon Lopez, new works for solo strings by Bryce Dessner and Yu-Hui Chang, avant-electronica from Unexplained Sounds, and a 60th birthday tribute to Gabriela Ortiz with help from the LA Phil. Our "50 years ago in the avant-garde" feature revisits late gems from Britten and Shostakovich that were premiered in December 1974, marking the tail end of the era of great 20th century modernists. We contrast those with contemporaneous works by four American mavericks with four very different approaches to musicalizing the human voice. A cherishing Northwest farewell to the great Zakir Hussain rounds out the playlist. Creative and improvised music from the Northwest and around the world with host Michael Schell, originally broadcast December 22, 2024. Photo credits and annotated playlist with comments.
