hearts of space | news

PGM 1266 'RECESSION 2' : nov. 27-dec. 4

In a normal year, the autumn season brings music with smoky timbres, dissonant harmonies, descending progressions, and gentle melancholy. This year we have to include the emotions that accompany a devastating global disease, isolation, and loss. We're challenged to reach into our battered hearts and summon up additional generosity, to give thanks for what we have.

Now the days grow short, the nights grow long, and a chill descends on the land as the northern hemisphere slowly tilts away from the sun. It's a time for quiet reflection and the cultivation of inner strength to confront the challenges ahead. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ambient, chamber and sacred music for a haunted autumn, on a program called RECESSION 2. Music is by KEVIN KELLER, ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, DAVID DARLING, GUNNARD DOBOZE, and MAX RICHTER.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

 

PGM 957R 'MYSTERIOSO' : nov. 20-27

A classic piece of electronic spacemusic from France by JEAN-MICHEL JARRE. With just a few notes, it creates a whole world of mystery and imagination. Slow, deep, romantic and sublime, it invites us into a place that's unknown and unpredictable, yet alluring.

It's true that all good music takes you away, but since the 1970s artists have been using electronic tools to craft a sound that takes you to places far beyond the reach of ordinary music. Dark ambient electronics have become a vehicle...for transport to deep virtual worlds and exotic environments.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey on the dark ambient spaceways, on a program called MYSTERIOSO. Music is by JEAN MICHEL JARRE, A PRODUCE & LOREN NERELL, PAUL ELLIS, MEG BOWLES, RICHARD BONE, ERIK WOLLO, KIT WATKINS, and ANDREW LAHIFF.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1265 'SCORPIANO' : nov.13-20

 

The evolution of the pianoforte into the modern piano since the 18th century created an artistic platform for both players and composers. By the 1970s solo piano recordings emerged as a vehicle for personal expression and statements of musical identity. Ubiquitous and flexible, the piano supported virtuosity and musical complexity as readily as simplicity and sentimentality. Recordings ranged from the intense improvised outpourings of KEITH JARRETT and the folk impressionism of GEORGE WINSTON, to the "generative music" algorithms of BRIAN ENO.

Today the solo piano medium can be truly personal, while on a deeper level, quiet, spacious, serene ambient music addresses a collective psychological need for relief from the tension and intensity of daily life. That still leaves room for many different approaches. Along with typical new age sweetness and trancey minimalist repetition, we find artists attracted to dark worlds, somber tone colors, and dissonant harmonies, with sophisticated production techniques that add textural complexity and intrigue to the conventional sound of the acoustic piano.

As we transit the house of Scorpio in this plague year 2020 transmission of Hearts of Space...a darktime excursion, on a program called SCORPIANO. Music is by JILL TRACY, MATTHEW LABARGE, DAVID NORLAND, and BRUNO SANFILIPPO.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1264 'DESCENDING DARK 3' : nov.6-13

In the cooling, darkening months of autumn, time seems to slow in the natural world. The leaves change color, wither and fade, while the animals are busy stocking up for the winter to come. For humans, this year is a somber season. In a time of pandemic, we're challenged to adapt to protective measures, and carry on with normal life in abnormal times.

The music of the season features downward progressions and complex harmonies. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a dark ambient autumn journey, on a program called DESCENDING DARK 3. Music by JEFF PEARCE, JEFF GREINKE, HOLLAN HOLMES, ERIK WØLLO & MICHAEL STEARNS, SAM ROSENTHAL, AL GROMER KHAN, ROBERT RICH, NIK PARKIN, and PATRICK O'HEARN.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1263 'LAMENTO 4' : oct.30-nov.6

In troubled times, when dark forces disrupt our lives and challenge our communities, we find solace in the music of lamentation. It's an age-old expression of pain, grief and heartache—a step on the path to catharsis and healing.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, Renaissance, Baroque, folk and contemporary songs of loss, longing, and lamentation, on a program from guest producer ELLEN HOLMES called LAMENTO 4.

Music is by PALESTRINA, ZELENKA, MORAGO, ISAAC, CORREA de ARAUXO and BRITTEN, performed by JORDI SAVALL & HESPERION 21 and MATTHEW BARLEY,  plus folk and traditional songs by CHARLES STANFORD, THE KRONOS QUARTET, and NIEL GOW, and contemporary instrumentals by PATRICK HAWES, BARRINGTON PHELOUNG, ROSS EDWARDS, and MAX RICHTER.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1058R 'THE TWILIGHT ZONE' : oct. 23-30

As we enter the astrological house of Scorpio, here in the northern hemisphere the light is waning, the natural world is withering, and hidden realms are emerging from the shadows. It's a time for music of dissonant harmonies, dark spaces and strange worlds.

I'm STEPHEN HILL and on this transmission of Hearts of Space, a dark autumn journey called THE TWILIGHT ZONE. The title, of course, was made famous by the 1959 science fiction TV series written, produced and hosted by ROD SERLING, featuring stories of the futuristic, the paranormal and the supernatural.

My introductions to Hearts of Space are too often compared to Rod Serling's. Thank you, but have you actually listened to a TWILIGHT ZONE intro lately? Sorry, no way.

Music is by TIM STORY & ROEDELIUS, KEVIN KELLER, BRUNO SANFILIPPO, MICHAEL JON FINK, JEFF GREINKE, ROBERT RICH, THOMAS NEWMAN & RICK COX, and DWIGHT ASHLEY.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1262 'MYSTIC CANYONS' : oct. 16-23

The gentle tones of the Native American cedar flute have propagated far beyond their origin — a rare case of a humble ethnic instrument succeeding on natural charm and sonic appeal. Resurrected from decades of cultural neglect by native musicians in the mid 20th century, it proved to be a versatile and satisfying instrument for both amateur and professional musicians. We like to revisit it in the fall, when its pentatonic minor scale seems to magically express the deepening energy and complex colors of the season.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a Southwest autumn journey featuring the Native American flute called MYSTIC CANYONS. Music is by COYOTE OLDMAN, JONN SERRIE & GARY STROUTSOS, SCOTT AUGUST, JOHNNY WHITEHORSE, JAMES MARIENTHAL, SHERRY FINZER, JOHN HULING, and KENNETH HOOPER.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1261 'SACRED SONGS 2' : oct.9-16

The traditions of sacred music and contemplative song are found in almost every culture on earth. They bring beauty, peace, and emotional fulfillment to millions. Since the mid 20th century, the sacred sounds of exotic world cultures have become increasingly popular with western listeners, even though they sound nothing like western sacred music. Despite our increasingly secular culture, sacred song maintains a special place in our holiday celebrations, and contemplative music provides a much-needed balm for battered spirits.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, deep song, devotional chant, sacred hymns, and contemplative instrumentals from Spain, the Middle East and India, on a program called SACRED SONGS 2. Music is by ADAM HURST, YUVAL RON & flamenco singer ESTRELLA MORENTE, MICHEL BANABILA, AZAM ALI & LOGA RAMIN TORKIAN, DEVA PREMAL, and SERENA GABRIEL & STEVE ROACH.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1231R 'FALLING' : oct. 2-9

THE SUN begins its long withdrawal from the northern hemisphere after the summer solstice in June. After the autumn equinox in September, the transition seems to accelerate. The days grow shorter, the nights grow longer, and the temperature cools, while the natural world changes color and prepares for the winter to come.

Since medieval times we've called this season "fall." The word comes from Middle English, with Old English and Old German roots. Falling implies movement downward, and in autumn declining solar energy brings a feeling of descending or falling into the season. In music it's marked by slowing tempos, descending chord progressions, darkening timbres, and wistful, even melancholy emotions.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we descend into the autumn soundscape, on a program called FALLING. Music is by DAVID DARLING, JOEP BEVING, CHRISTOPHER TIGNOR, HAMMOCK, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, and TOM EATON.

[ view program page ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]

PGM 1260 'CALM ABIDING' : sept.25 - oct.2

The theory and practice of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist meditation seem ideally suited to confronting the stressful challenges we're now living through in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through a form of meditation called śamatha or "single-pointed attention," the meditator achieves vipaśyanā — in English vipassana or insight — "seeing into the nature of things." In Sanskrit, śamatha means "tranquility of mind," often called "calm abiding." Śamatha has five progressive stages: stable attention, powerful mindfulness, joy, tranquility, and finally, equanimity. The practice of calm abiding leads to insight.

Without any formal connection to Buddhist meditation but because of common goals, we can find śamatha in the deeper, quieter, more contemplative forms of ambient music. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a Buddhist-inspired ambient meditation, on a program called CALM ABIDING. Music is by ROBERT RICH, SPUNTIC, SAM ROSENTHAL & JARGUNA, NUMINA & ZERO OHMS, and KEITH BERRY.

[ view playlist ] [ view Flickr image gallery ] [ play 30 second MP3 promo ]