347. Julia Wolfe

(August 2021) Episode 347 is JULIA WOLFE.  I’ve seen the words “relentless” and “visceral” used to describe her music, and they are apt, and why I love it. There is much diversity and eclecticism in her sounds and styles, in part due to her collaborations in the Bang on a Can partnership, with a strong undercurrent of post-minimalism.  Her compositions feature an abundant lack of convention, offering frequent surprises around each corner.

Favorite piece: Big Beautiful Dark and Scary

Favorite single instrument piece: LAD (bagpipes)

Favorite choral work: Shelter (with Gordon and Lang)

Favorite cello/vocal multimedia freak-out: Spinning

Compared to expectations: ↑