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PGM 1199 'WINTER STRINGS' : nov. 30 - dec. 6

December arrives on the heels of the Thanksgiving holiday, and we settle into winter in earnest. From the chilly forest countries of northern Europe—Germany, Poland, Ukraine, England and Estonia—comes a post-modern neo-classical music that's traditionally tonal and modal—warm, slow and contemplative. It's a deliberate step away from the old avant-garde frontiers of atonality and serialism to a style that's spiritually resonant and broadly popular. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a program called WINTER STRINGS. Music is by MAX RICHTER, ARVO PÄRT, VALENTIN SILVESTROV, FRANZ SCHUBERT, STEFANO SCODANIBBIO, HENRYK GÓRECKI, BEN LUCAS BOYSEN, and LUDOVICO EINAUDI.

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PGM 1028R 'SHADOWLANDS' : nov.23-30

Now there's a winning combination: the classic floating keyboard sound of German synthesist KLAUS SCHULZE, and the cor Anglais or English horn — actually neither English nor a horn, but an alto oboe, a member of the double reed family. They go together like peaches and...well, just pick your favorite food analogy.

While earlier artists often drew purist lines between electronic and acoustic instruments, today it's all fair game for the architects of space and Ambient music. And why not? It brings us the magic combination of unlimited electronic sound design, and traditional instrument expression.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space...a journey in the dark forests and electro-acoustic soundscapes of late autumn, on a program called SHADOWLANDS. Music is by KLAUS SCHULZE, HAROLD BUDD, CHRONOTOPE PROJECT, FRORE, DIATONIS, MARK BANNING, and DAVID HELPLING & JON JENKINS.

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PGM 1198 'LITTLE ETERNITIES' : nov.16-23

You may be surprised to learn that in philosophy, there are two kinds of eternity: one exists outside of time; the other exists within time but is of indefinite duration. That kind of eternal is called sempiternity or everlastingness. 

Whichever kind of eternity you prefer, the idea of something that goes on forever, endless and infinite, has a powerful psychological appeal in an age of rapid, constant, disorienting change. It's a radical absolute—one of the few concepts religion, science and philosophy share; and more therapeutically, a place where our overburdened minds can go to rest. 

Inspired by these heady speculations, contemporary composers have sought to create a kind of timeless music. Whether acoustic or electronic or both, it creates a sense of unlimited time in musical space. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we seek the timeless...on a program called LITTLE ETERNITIES.

Music is by JÓHANN JÓHANNSSON, CHAD LAWSON, TALE OF US, TOM CAUFIELD, KEVIN KELLER, ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN, and JEFF GREINKE.

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PGM 1197 'TWILIGHT EARTH 4' : nov. 9-16

The dulcet tones of the Native American cedar flute have inspired a soothing sub-genre of contemplative music. Pioneered by native musicians from the American Southwest, over the last 30 years the genre has attracted non-native musicians, who expanded into electronics and exotic percussion. It's a sound we enjoy in the fall, when it complements the mellow light and withering colors of the landscape, and evokes the vast, echoing canyons of the high desert. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an Indian Summer journey for Native American cedar flute, on a program called TWILIGHT EARTH 4.

Music is by ANN LICATER, COYOTE JUMP, COYOTE OLDMAN, BYRON METCALF, JOHNNY WHITEHORSE, PAMELA WHITMAN & RICH KURTZ, TONY GERBER, MYSTERIES OF THE NIGHT, and SCOTT AUGUST.

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PGM 1160R "ARCHAIC CONCERTS' : nov. 2-9

Hearts of Space was born and raised during the formative years of electronic music in the 1970s and 80s. Because we've been covering the ambient side of its evolution for over forty years, the program has often been associated primarily with electronic music. 

But since the very beginning, we've always given almost equal time to traditional, purely acoustic forms of contemplative, space-creating music, as well as "electro-acoustic" hybrids. The reason was simple: long before electronics, there were centuries of music from dozens of world cultures that not only offered profound listening experiences — they defined and set the standard for what music can be. 

To be sure, electronics opened up vast new tonal and expressive dimensions for contemporary music — but we still return to traditional acoustic music, sit in virtual palace halls on ancient nights, and drink from the source of musical language. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, contemplative sounds on venerable acoustic instruments, on a program called ARCHAIC CONCERTS. The title is taken from the 1976 debut album of the unique German musician STEPHAN MICUS, who inspired, and is featured, in this program. 

Music is by STEPHAN MICUS, MYSTIC JOURNEY, MICHEL BANABILA & MEHMET POLAT, HANS CHRISTIAN, DJIVAN GASPARYAN, and SHUNSUKE MIZUNO.

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