Summer Listening Project 2022: Introduction

Summer has arrived, and many of us are looking for things to read to either help take our minds off events or try to make sense of the world in which we find ourselves. For as long as I can remember, summertime has been not a period of increased reading but of listening. I used to think I could listen to everything and kept a checklist of artists’ discographies and composers’ works. I later discovered that it is a fool’s errand to hold on to the belief that one could listen to everything in a single lifetime. Performers and athletes must accept that there will always be someone better than themselves. Likewise, someone will always have heard more than you or know some composer’s works that you have never heard. The trick, and the thing I live for these days, is to enjoy the discovery. I try not to feel any level of shame when someone approaches me with something I’ve never heard before - even if, by all accounts, I should have. A listener’s job is never done. Even well-known composers likely have extensive catalogs containing works many have never heard. It’s not an embarrassment. It’s a chance for celebration to hear something for the first time. 

Beginning next week, I have selected eight works to focus on this summer. Some of them are entirely new to me, and I will be sharing “first listen” experiences. Some pieces are somewhat familiar and are being listened to more in-depth. Some are old favorites that I will attempt to contextualize with current events. I am splitting the works into four categories, each with a different topic to address a focus, question, or development in my own adventures as a composer. By doing this, I hope to both make more sense of the world and find that sense of universality that keeps me interested in artistic exploration. In other words, I don’t approach my summer listening projects as a didactic expression or a chance to pontificate. They are voyages of discovery that I invite everyone to join me on. The project functions much more like a book club, with participants adding their own perspectives and taking away the views of others. So, I hope readers will listen and comment openly about the works so that we all can benefit from the exposure to these works. However, if you would rather lurk and listen, you won’t hurt my feelings. I started doing this in public because I have always enjoyed reading about what other people listen to. I usually wish that these lists included details about what each listener enjoyed about each piece, so that’s what this is - an expanded version of “This Is My Jam.”

If you would like a head start on the pieces we will be exploring together, here they are. For most of these, there's only one version available out there. Part of the fun is the hunt, so I'm not going to provide any links ahead of time. I strongly encourage everyone to purchase these works directly from the artist. As an alternative, adding them to a playlist on a paid subscription streaming service is fine, but know that the artists will only receive a mere pittance for their hard work. If you come up empty and need some direction, please feel free to email me using the link below. I'm using The Hallé ed. for the Vaughan Williams.

Raven Chacon, The Journey of the Horizontal People

Ralph Vaughan Williams, Symphony No. 3

Taylor Brook, Star Maker Fragments

Philip Glass, Hydrogen Jukebox

Anna Þorvaldsdóttir, Enigma

Olga Neuwirth, Lost Highway

Dominic Murcott, 1:3:5:7 Improvised Duos

George Lewis, Minds in Flux

Over on the Pecan Valley Music Facebook page, I have posted short previews and ancillary material for these pieces - as a kind of amuse-bouche. There are some incredible videos describing things like extended techniques, composer interviews, and program notes. All of these posts begin with the header SLP2022.

Next week, I will begin with the subject of finding one’s voice as a composer, something I am very focused on myself. 

As Carl Sagan used to say, “Come with me….”