Steve Seel possesses a broad knowledge of many musical genres, having hosted radio programs ranging from classical to jazz and even avant-garde music at public radio stations around the country. Steve came to Minnesota Public Radio in 1999 to be a part of its nationally-syndicated classical music programming. In 2005, he became one of the founding voices on MPR's eclectic station The Current, and has hosted various time slots from mornings to late nights, and conducted in-depth interviews with pop music luminaries ranging from Brian Eno to David Byrne to Tori Amos. Steve is an avid reader of political and social commentary as well, and he emcees The Current's popular Policy and a Pint community series, featuring discussions with noted scholars, politicians, community leaders, authors and big thinkers on important issues of the day. Steve is also a basement composer obsessed with all things both minimalist and slow, and might actually be incapable of writing anything that exceeds 75 beats-per-minute.
As composer Jessie Montgomery spent time thinking about 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' she wondered, 'What does an anthem for the 21st century sound like in today's multicultural environment?' Find out about the resulting work on Extra Eclectic, with Steve Seel.
From the speed of light to the flickering of a match, Steve Seel features several works touching on the theme of "light" on this week's show, including Philip Glass' "The Light," Einojuhani Rautavaara's "Into the Heart of Light" and a selection from David Lang's "The Little Match Girl Passion." Steve also plays works from Tan Dun, Arvo Part, and more.
The title of Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time" refers both to the Apocalypse and to the way the composer, through rhythm and harmony, approached the concept of time in a way that was completely original. Messiaen wrote the work while in a prisoner of war camp during World War II, and Steve Seel features it on this week's program as part of our observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Outpost concert series first emerged in 2018, blending a diverse lineup of music with poetry, spoken word and more. COVID-19 threw a wrench in this past year's planned programs, but now Outpost is back in virtual form as part of the Great Northern Festival's wide-ranging roster of offerings. Read about the online show on Feb. 1.
It's a return to a favorite topic this week: the sky and the stars. Scott Blankenship guest-hosts a program featuring John Luther Adams' "Sky With Endless Stars," Robert Morris' "Stars of Highest Magnitude," Eriks Esendvalds' "Stars," and Veljo Tormis' "Clouds Are Racing." In the second hour, music by the late Harold Budd, and a piece by David Lang inspired by the principle of "musical DNA."
Which composer down through history has provided the most inspiration for the composers of our time and their works? Bach? Arnold Schoenberg? Philip Glass? You just might be surprised how much Beethoven has been a boon to the music of the 20th and 21st century. As we celebrate the groundbreaking innovations of one of history's great artists on this 250th anniversary of his birth, Steve Seel has a look at how contemporary composers have taken up his themes, ideas, and melodies in their own works.
Composer Michael Torke says he loves learning about new kinds of music to inform his own composing. But misunderstanding those musical genres can often be just as fruitful. That's where "weird kinds of unintentional results can happen," he says, and a great example is his latest work, "Being," which is inspired by Torke's exploration of electronic dance music. Steve Seel features selections from Torke's new work on this edition of the show.
The fantastically gifted pianist Keith Jarrett recently announced that he suffered not one but two debilitating strokes in 2018, effectively putting an end to his incredible performing career that has crossed boundaries of jazz, classical, and more. But it likely hasn't silenced him as a composer. Steve Seel showcases one of Jarrett's compositions for orchestra on this week's show, with a hopeful eye toward a career that still isn't over yet.
Derrick Spiva is an American composer who integrates musical practices from cultures around the world into his works. He's an authority on Persian, Balkan, Hindustani, and West African music, in addition to having traditional western classical training. Fittingly, his work "American Mirror" centers around the theme of immigrants, and how "inter-cultural collaboration," as he says, is "central to the well-being of American society." Steve Seel showcases Spiva's work on this week's program.
As the definition of classical music continues to grow, so too does the global village of composers who are welcomed into the fold of what was once dominated by the west (particularly western Europe) in centuries past. Today, audiences hunger to hear from composing voices outside of that bubble, and on this edition of the program, Steve Seel showcases composers from Argentina, Latvia, China, Venezuela, and more.
In 1887, the Michelson-Morely Experiment was one of the earliest investigations into the speed of light, and it marked a turning point in modern science. Philip Glass's piece "The Light" takes its name from that event, and it was the composer's first full work for symphony orchestra, written in 1987. It's just one of the "light"-themed works featured on the next edition of Extra Eclectic. Ward Jacobsen guest hosts.
Danny Elfman has written over 100 film and TV scores, from Tim Burton's Batman to the theme from The Simpsons. He says that from time to time, however, he finds that he has to write orchestral music totally free from the influence of film, in order to "keep my sanity" -- a process he says he finds "incredibly liberating and relieving." His latest is his Violin Concerto, "Eleven Eleven," and it's featured on this week's show.
We're analyzing the earth from different vantage points this week -- primarily as outside observers. Steve Seel features Tina Davidson's "Blue Curve of the Earth" and David Skidmore's "Aliens with Extraordinary Abilities," in addition to Terry Riley's "Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector" and Christopher Theofanidis' "All Dreams Begin With the Horizon."
Sometimes, illusions are more powerful than reality. That's part of the undercurrent of several of the works on this week's show. Steve Seel features Scott Wollschleger's "We See Things That Are Not There," Brendon Randall-Myers' "Auras" from his "Dynamic of Vanishing Bodies," and Nico Muhly's "Seeing Is Believing," based on how ancient sky-observers saw shapes, animals, and objects in the heavens -- by grouping the stars into constellations.
The practice of writing new music for ensembles who specialize in ancient or early music is one that's gained popularity in the past few decades in contemporary classical. It creates a kind of sound that feels unstuck in time, in a way. Steve Seel has examples on this edition of the show, including Gavin Bryars' "Super Flumina."
In native Australian culture, the Dreaming is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religious cultural worldview attributed to Aboriginal beliefs. Since the term's inception, there's been argument as to whether or not it accurately reflects true Aboriginal culture, or is merely a western misunderstanding of them. Either way, today it's part of the lexicon in popular culture when describing Aboriginal mysticism, and thus, an attractive and interesting concept to Australian musicians and composers as well. Steve Seel explores some on this week's show.
Composer Arvo Part turns 85 this Friday. Few composers of our time have managed to garner both such exuberant critical acclaim and the emphatic love of audiences as Part has. Steve Seel honors Part with performances of his "Magnificat" and "Berlin Mass" on this edition of the program, in addition to works by Johann Johannsson, Marc Mellits, Kate Moore, and others.
Classical MPR's Steve Seel spoke with Kyu-Young Kim, artistic director and principal violin with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, about the plans for the virtual fall season, and what audiences can expect to hear and see.
In classical music today, the guitar has become just as commonplace an instrument as the violin and the piano. What might surprise you though is the inroads the electric guitar has made. Steve Seel features both acoustic and electric guitars in a host of new works on this week's program, including pieces by Chris Brubeck (son of jazz great Dave Brubeck), Elena Kats-Chernin, Judd Greenstein, and others.
This week's program features reflections on the "sharing of wisdom" from one to another, and the value of individual and collective memory. Steve Seel showcases a stirring work from Israeli composer Shulamit Ran on the lessons of the Holocaust, plus Michael Torke's "Four Proverbs" and Judd Greenstein's "In Teaching Others We Teach Ourselves." We also hear music from Tan Dun, Huang Ro, Michael Kurth, and others.