Poster Birds flying
Anuj Yadav/Unsplash
Extra Eclectic

Taking flight

Extra Eclectic - Oct. 18, 2023

On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, host Steve Seel plays music in honor of our migrating avian friends — from Norman Dello Joio's Exaltation of Larks and Terry Riley's Mythic Birds Waltz to Jennifer Bellor's Skylark Lullaby and Christopher Gunning's Birdflight. The second hour includes a tribute to jazz iconoclast Carla Bley, who died Tuesday at 87, with a selection from her album Fancy Chamber Music.

Episode Playlist

Everything Lasts Forever: Bird Sing Love 
Michael Kurth 
Michael Kurth: Everything Lasts Forever 
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra 
Robert Spano, conductor 
4:50 

Exaltation of Larks 
Norman Dello Joio 
Music for Martha Graham 
Atlantic Sinfonietta 
Edvard Tchivzhel, conductor 
7:44 

Mythic Birds Waltz 
Terry Riley 
Terry Riley: Cadenza on the Night Plain 
Kronos Quartet 
16:10 

Birdflight 
Christopher Gunning 
Gunning: Violin & Cello Concertos - Birdflight 
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 
Christopher Gunning, conductor 
12:13 

Skylark Lullaby 
Jennifer Bellor 
Reflections at Dusk 
Eastman Saxophone Project 
Chien-Kwan Lin, conductor 
10:23  

Chorale for Nanine with Birds (Hommage a Messiaen) 
Gerald Levinson 
Now Your Colors Sing 
Marcantonio Barone, piano 
4:36 

Eclairs sur l'Au-dela … (Illuminations of the Beyond …) : Demeurer dans l'Amour
Olivier Messiaen 
Messiaen: Illuminations of the Beyond 
Orchestre de la Bastille 
Myung-Whun Chung, conductor 
10:11 

Light is Calling 
Michael Gordon 
to you through 
India Gailey, cello
7:07 

Dance Card: Celestial Blue 
Jennifer Higdon 
Project W: Works by Diverse Women Composers 
Chicago Sinfonietta 
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
7:57 

End of Vienna 
Carla Bley 
Carla Bley - Selected Recordings 
Carla Bley, piano
8:56 

Upon Further Reflection: Sunset Soliloquy 
Michael Tilson Thomas 
Upon Further Reflection 
John Wilson, piano 
13:09 

 

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

What goes around comes around

What goes around comes around

On this week's Extra Eclectic, Steve Seel showcases modern works that use rounds and "looping" phrases in their structure, as well as music that celebrates the fall season with modern works that have an autumnal air. Listen now!

The tonal 20th century

The tonal 20th century

After the “12-tone” school obliterated traditional ideas of harmony during the 20th century, a younger generation of composers brought conventional harmonic notions back. Host Steve Seel features music by Philip Glass, Julie Mandel and more on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic.’ Listen now!

1:58:58
Sounds for an autumn night

Sounds for an autumn night

On the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ Toru Takemitsu’s ‘A String Around Autumn’ is the centerpiece of an hour that sets the tone for the coming of fall, with additional music by Xavi Torres and Michael Harrison. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:57
Women composers bring the fire

Women composers bring the fire

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel features a selection from Julia Wolfe’s ‘Fire in My Mouth’ in an hour devoted to contemporary women composers, which also showcases music by Meredith Monk, Paola Prestini, Gala Flagello and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
A celebration of Black composers

A celebration of Black composers

Julius Eastman’s Symphony No. 2 (‘The Faithful Friend: The Lover Friend’s Loe for the Beloved’) is this week’s ‘Extra Eclectic’ highlight from the 2024 BBC Proms Festival and it kicks off an hour of works by African-American composers from the 20th and 21st centuries. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:56
Soundtracks on the cutting edge

Soundtracks on the cutting edge

On this edition of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ we hear highlights from a concert at the 2024 BBC Proms celebrating creative cinematic sounds, including music by Son Lux from ‘Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,’ Bryce Dessner from ‘Sing Sing’ and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Modern music thrives at the Proms

Modern music thrives at the Proms

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel has more from the 2024 BBC Proms festival, including ‘Stravaganza’ — a new work by Karl Jenkins written for saxophonist Jess Gillam — and an adventurous piece by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Listen now!

1:58:59
Getting in the spirit

Getting in the spirit

The music is exultant on this week’s show, as host Steve Seel brings us John Adams’ ‘Hallelujah Junction’ and we visit the 2024 BBC Proms Festival for a live recording of Wynton Marsalis’ ‘Herald, Holler and Hallelujah.’ Listen now!

We're off to The Proms!

We're off to The Proms!

This week, ‘Extra Eclectic’ begins its weekly visits to the biggest classical music celebration in the world, the BBC Proms — with highlights from the British summertime festival’s rich offerings of contemporary music performances. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

A night out

A night out

‘You Come Here Often?’ It's not a question, but the name of the piano piece by Michael Tilson Thomas that opens this week’s episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ which nods to gathering places with John Adams’ Saxophone Concerto, Paul Schoenfield’s ‘Cafe Music’ and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:58
VIEW ALL EPISODES