"things as they were or are, things as they are said or thought to be, things as they ought to be"

A trip this weekend took me to the Valley of Fire in Nevada, a dramatic landscape of red, pink, and yellow sandstone, chaparral and cholla cactus, and petroglyphs etched in desert varnish. This experience seeped into this soundscape inspired both by nature's wildness – in works composed by Mason Bates, Fjóla Evans, and John Luther Adams – and the ancient spiritualism that sought protection and power from those forces – expressed in music by by Erin Gee, Hildegard von Bingen, and Meredith Monk. Enjoy!

Sleep in and never miss an episode. Sign up to receive a monthly email digest of episodes >

Playlist

  1. From Aristotle: I. The Poet Being an Imitator by Ben Verdery, Mark Martin on Scenes from Ellis Island (Panoramic)
  2. Erin gee: Three Scenes from Sleep: Scene 4, Abyss by Ekmeles (Charlotte Mundy, Elisa Sutherland, Tim Keeler, Steven Bradshaw, Jeffrey Gavett, Steven Hrycelak) on A Howl, That Was Also A Prayer (New Focus)
  3. von Bingen: O ignee spiritus by Anonymous 4 on The Origin of Fire: Music and Visions of Hildegard von Bingen (Harmonia Mundi)
  4. Bates: Liquid Interface: I. Glaciers Calving by San Francisco Symphony, Mason Bates, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor) on Mason Bates: Works for Orchestra (SFS Media)
  5. John Luther Adams: Tukiliit by Lisa Moore on The Stone People (Cantaloupe)
  6. Fjóla Evans: Shoaling by Bearthoven on Trios (Cantaloupe)
  7. Monk: Dolmen Music by Andrea Goodman, Meredith Monk, Monica Solem, Julius Eastman, Robert Een, Paul Langland on Meredith Monk: Dolmen Music (ECM New Series)
  8. Act I, Scene 5: Hymne De Joie, Hymne De Delivrance by Chœurs René Duclos, Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Georges Prêtre (conductor) on Camille Saint–Saëns: Samson et Dalila (EMI)
  9. Act I, Scene 6: Voici Le Printemps Nous Portant Des Fleurs by Chœurs René Duclos, Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Georges Prêtre (conductor) on Camille Saint–Saëns: Samson et Dalila (EMI)
  10. Act I, Scene 6: Je Viens Celebrer La Victoire... O Mon Bien-aime, Suis Mes Pas Vers Sorek by Rita Gorr, Jon Vickers, Chœurs René Duclos, Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Georges Prêtre (conductor) on Camille Saint–Saëns: Samson et Dalila (EMI)
  11. Missy Mazzoli: Ecstatic Science by yMusic on Escstatic Science (New Amsterdam)
  12. Michael Gordon: Natural History by Britt Orchestra, Steiger Butte Drum & Singers, Teddy Abrams (conductor) on Natural History EP (Cantaloupe)