Extra Eclectic

As recently as 20 years ago, the phrase "female composer" brought to mind a short-list of familiar names -- a handful of women who had managed to smash the gates of what had been a male-dominated fortress for centuries. While the contributions of the likes of Amy Beach, Joan Tower, and Libby Larsen have been immense toward putting cracks in the classical glass ceiling, the burgeoning number of women composers today have created an exponentially growing world of musical discovery - to the point when unfamiliar names are happily becoming the norm. Steve Seel samples a handful of them this week as our observation of Women's History Month continues.

Guest host: Melissa Ousley Melissa Ousley brings her expansive knowledge of music to the program this week, and her sensitive ear and attention to the details for all of her selections comes through. John Cage's "In a Landscape" serves as an example of how Cage perhaps had a greater impact on music of the 20th century than any other composer, through his emphasis on silence, space, and Eastern philosophies. John Adams' "Hallelujah Junction" for two pianos takes the contrapuntal minimalism of the 1970s to dizzying new heights, and Jesse Montgomery's "Coincident Dances" depicts what the composer calls the "profoundly multicultural experience" of living in New York City.

Guest host: Ward Jacobsen The official beginning of spring is right around the corner, and this week on Extra Eclectic, things are beginning to thaw -- and the water is flowing again. We hear James Stephenson's "Liquid Melancholy," selections from "Rivers" by Ann Southam, and Mason Bates' celebrated work for orchestra and electronics, "Liquid Interface." Ward Jacobsen guest hosts this week, and he also features music by John Tavener, Keith Jarret, and more.

When John Adams decided to write a saxophone concerto, he first listened to some that previous composers had written, but he found that they didn't speak to him. Instead, he decided he'd get out his favorite jazz records for inspiration - from Charlie Parker and Eric Dophy to Wayne Shorter. The result was a concerto that was influenced more by jazz than classical music. Steve plays Adams' work and some others that have prominent rhythmic elements or "dance" themes in this week's episode (beginning the program with a piece by Andre Previn, who died this week at the age of 89).

Steve Seel showcases the play between light and shadow, with contemporary classical works on those themes. Nocturnes and night travels contrast with works like "The Light" by Philip Glass, and he's even got a piece called "Shadow Light" by Elena Rhuer that touches on both ideas. Plus, does the phrase "desert island" conjure up images of sunlight and palm trees in your imagination? Well, what does it feel like to be stranded on a desert island ... at night? Erkki-Sven Tuur's "Insula Deserta" suggests what it might be like to be shipwrecked after the sun goes down.

Oftentimes, when the air is chilly, the sky is clear. And so it can be possible to enjoy some good star-gazing ... as long as your skin can take the cold. On this episode, Steve Seel features modern classical works on themes of stars and heavenly observation ... from "Polaris" by Thomas Ades to Joel Pucket's "The Shadow of Sirius" to the gorgeous "Musica Celestis" by Aaron Jay Kernis and more. In the second hour, Steve explores new classical works on the subject of love, in honor of Valentine's Day.