Irish musician Conor O’Brien, also known as Villagers, is a one-man-band becoming increasingly hard to categorise. His roots as an indie folk artist have given way to a lush, nostalgic electronic and multi-instrumental jazz-influenced fifth studio album Fever Dreams. Looking back at his first decade in the music industry Conor talks to Andrew about escapism, literature, and collaboration in a time of isolation.
R. Murray Schafer, the Canadian composer responsible for popularising the term soundscape, has died at the age of 88. His concept of acoustic ecology had a major impact on musicians and musical thinking. Schafer spoke about his musical philosophies from his rural home in Ontario on Radio National’s Into the Music in 2007.
And as the Australian Chamber Orchestra brings Arvo Pärt’s Tabula Rasa to their StudioCasts streaming series, ABC Classic’s Brooke Green puts the screws to pianist Brenda Jones to nail down setting up and playing the prepared piano.
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At the top of the show:
Track Title: Gulistan-E Nur (The Rosegarden Of Light) – Interlude II
Artist: Ensemble Zohra
Composer: Sadie Harrison
Album: Sadie Harrison: The Rosegarden of Light
Label: Toccata Classics B01FLT0LXK
In the Villagers interview:
Track title: So Simpatico
Composer: Conor O’Brien
Artist: Villagers
Album: Fever Dreams
Live performance from a special Music Show session
Track title: Full Faith in Providence
Composer: Conor O’Brien
Artist: Villagers
Album: Fever Dreams
Label: Domino
Track title: A Trick of the Light
Composer: Conor O’Brien
Artist: Villagers
Album: The Art of Pretending to Swim
Live performance from a special Music Show session
Track title: Fever Dreams
Composer: Conor O’Brien
Artist: Villagers
Album: Fever Dreams
Label: Domino
Track title: The First Day
Composer: Conor O’Brien
Artist: Villagers
Album: Fever Dreams
Live performance from a special Music Show session
In the R. Murray Schafer obituary:
Track title: String Quartet No. 11; ii.
Composer: R. Murray Schafer
Artist: Molinari Quartet
Album: Schafer: String Quartets Nos. 8-12
Label: Atma ACD22672
Track title: String Quartet No. 8; ii. Very rhapsodic
Composer: R. Murray Schafer
Artist: Molinari Quartet
Album: Schafer: String Quartets Nos. 8-12
Label: Atma ACD22672
Producers: Caitlin Benedict and Ellie Parnell
Sound engineers: Emrys Cronin and John Jacobs