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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 ]