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PGM 1011R 'ELECTRON TRAVELER' : apr.24-may 1

Even in the early days, the pioneers of electronic music knew they were on to something special. Here was a way of sculpting sound that made it like clay — something you could shape to your own creative vision. Today every artist can have electronic tools of almost unlimited power at their fingertips. We've had several generations of musicians tending the electronic vineyards, and these days the sonic wine is available in many varietals.

For example, "downtempo" is a name invented in the 1990s to describe slowed-down, less intense electronic dance music. It's still beat-y but the atmosphere is chilled; rather than pumping you up, it floats you along with a relaxed vibe that leads to pure Ambient realms.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey from Downtempo rhythms to Ambient space, on a program called 'ELECTRON TRAVELER'. Music is by AES DANA, MARCONI UNION, HIBERNATION, HEALER, and RADIANT MIND.

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PGM 785R 'LAMENTO' : apr. 3-10

Descending into the dark season, we find music that portrays human emotions at their most vulnerable: music of pathos, loss and remembrance. These are some of our most powerful and affecting feelings, and they call for music that reaches into the depths of our souls.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a special program of choral, vocal and instrumental music for the dark season from guest producer ELLEN HOLMES called LAMENTO.

A lament is a cathartic song or poem expressing grief or mourning. Many of the oldest and most enduring poems in human history have been laments; they're found in the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Hindu Vedas, and in ancient Near Eastern religious texts, including the Old Testament. 

Music is by GEORGE ROCHBERG, ARVO PÄRT, GARRETT FISHER, SAVINA YANNATOU, SILVIA NAKKACH, ZBIGNIEW PREISNER, NIKOLAI KARETNIKOV, VICTOR KALINNIKOV, ALEXANDER KASTALSKY, URMAS SISASK, and SANCTUARY.

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PGM 749R2 'TRANSLUCENT MUSIC' : mar.27-apr.3

In dark and dangerous times, we're confronted with depressing and painful emotions. Irrationally, when we consciously immerse ourselves in fear and dread, we can emerge stronger. Music has mysterious restorative powers that come from the emotional confrontation with deep and challenging feelings. The Ancient Greeks called it...catharsis.

At the other end of the emotional spectrum, in dark times we crave light and hope—balm for battered souls. Here music brings beauty and peace, inspiration and joy.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey in the fragile lightscape of the psyche, from dark, to translucent, to luminous—on a program called TRANSLUCENT MUSIC.

Featuring LISA GERRARD & JEFF RONA, ELENI KARAINDROU, ARVO PÄRT, VALENTIN SILVESTROV, and KARL JENKINS.

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PGM 1038 'CELTIC LEGACY 2' : mar. 13-20

Every year on the threshold of spring, we celebrate the memory of St. Patrick and the sublime music of the Celtic lands on the western edge of Europe. For folk music fans, it's a visit to one of the key sources of American music; for lovers of the ethereal ballad, it's a deep drink from the well; and for anyone who appreciates fine acoustic music and great vocalists, it's an unending delight. For Celtic music renews itself in every generation, embracing the present while honoring its long and brilliant expression of essential human emotion.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, another journey in the Celtic soundscape, on a program called CELTIC LEGACY 2. Music is by MIKE OLDFIELD, CLANNAD, DAVID ARKENSTONE & CHARLEE BROOKS, KATE PRICE, JOHN DOAN, AINE MINOGUE, and BRIAN KEANE.

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PGM 1068R 'WINTERTONES 2' : feb. 21-28

 

The latter days of winter bring a special kind of fatigue mixed with impatience. For residents of snow-crossed parts of the country, winter has begun to overstay its welcome; while here in California the trees are blossoming, and February feels like spring.

As the sound of the season evolves, music of the far north and Arctic countries still resonates, connecting with contemplative acoustic mainstays like the cello and the piano. From deep minimalist patterns to Romantic melodicism, we find the soul and comfort to endure.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, wintry acoustic spacemusic for the season on a program called WINTERTONES 2.  With Icelandic musicians OLAFUR ARNALDS and HILDUR GUTHNADOTTIR, cellist DAVID DARLING with SYLVIA NAKKACH and JACQUELINE TSCHABOLD BHUYAN, MICHAEL HOPPE & HAROLD MOSES, BRUNO SANFILIPPO, and RALPH ZURMUHLE.

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PGM 895R 'WINTERSONGS 2' : jan. 24-31

In a time of cold and dark, we instinctively move toward warmth and light. So the winter songbook that comes down to us from Northern and Eastern Europe is replete with warm harmonies and brilliant timbres. From Norway, Bulgaria, Moldavia, Germany and Austria, music of the folk and classical traditions is wonderfully alive and resonant at this time of year.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, cold day hymns, songs, lullabies, and the immortal music of BACH...on a program called WINTERSONGS 2. 

Music is by IRARI, IREN LOVASZ, MEDIAEVAL BAEBES, LISA HAMMER, JOSEPH HEBERT & MERRILL COLLINS, KITKA, TRIO MEDIEVAL, JOHANN HEINRICH SCHMELZER, and JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH.

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PGM 1030R2 'COLD and BRIGHT' : dec. 27-jan. 3

Winter settles in to the Northern hemisphere bringing powerful storms, but also radiant clear days with azure skies and deep vistas. Unlike most sensible animals, human activity seems to increase as the temperature drops, and we fill the brief days leading up to the new year with all manner of hustle and bustle.

Holiday lights twinkle in the crisp air, and while the traditional sounds of the season are warm, rich and harmonious, it's also a perfect time for intricate electronic rhythms that echo the activity, and crystalline tones that ring in the chilled atmosphere.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, an Ambient/Electronic journey for early winter, on a program called COLD AND BRIGHT. Music is by BRYAN CARRIGAN, BLUETECH, FORREST SMITHSON, NATURAL FREQUENCIES, PHILLIP WILKERSON, and JUSTIN VANDERBERG.

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PGM 1096R 'AFTERGLOOM DELIGHT' : nov. 29-dec.6

The end of the euphemistically named "daylight saving time" each fall is generally greeted with a chorus of depression. Not only is it clearly the final nail in summer's coffin, it's an all too blatant reminder of the long winter ahead.

Our Celtic ancestors gathered around bonfires at this time of year to chase away the gloom and recall the Pagan and pre-Christian festivals of the sun — then looked forward to the year-end solstice and religious holidays and the festive celebration of light itself.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ambient chamber music for the transition to the season of light, on an early winter program called AFTERGLOOM DELIGHT. Music is by KEVIN KELLER, A WINGED VICTORY FOR THE SULLEN, HELEN JANE LONG, YUTA NAGASHIMA, and BRUNO SANFILIPPO.

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PGM 1195R 'DESCENDING DARK 2' : nov. 1-8

This could be the sound of the Sugar Plum Fairies in the netherworld — we're coming up on Nutcracker time, after all — but no: it's the on-ramp to a journey into the cooling, darkening, deepening autumn soundscape. It's time to join the animals and prepare for the long winter ahead; time to focus, plan and complete those lingering projects, and get together with friends you missed over the summer. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a seasonal electronic journey in the autumn soundscape, on a program called DESCENDING DARK 2. 

Music is by SLEEPY TOWN MANUFACTURE, SOLARIS, PAULINA CASSIDY, DEBORAH MARTIN, KIT WATKINS, KLAUS SCHULZE, ERRANT SPACE, and BOB HOLROYD.

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PGM 1161R 'THE GATHERING DARK' : oct.11-18

Despite the unseasonably warm temperatures and their sometimes disastrous consequences, one thing in our environment remains absolutely unchanged: the sun and the earth continue reliably tracing their cosmic orbits. And so, for very good astronomical reasons, here in the northern hemisphere the autumn days grow shorter, and the light grows ever dimmer, as we plot our course toward the winter solstice. 

The music of the season is measured, calm, with restrained passion and glints of bright color against a darkening background. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we score the season of fading light and falling leaves, on a program called THE GATHERING DARK.

Music is by JEFF PEARCE, DARSHAN AMBIENT, TIM STORY & ROEDELIUS, JEFF GREINKE, TAPES AND TOPOGRAPHIES, EYES CAST DOWN, and HAMMOCK.

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PGM 1025R 'NOCTURNES' : sept.27 - oct.4

The first movement of BEETHOVEN's famous Piano Sonata No.14 in C Sharp Minor, better known as the "Moonlight Sonata." The nickname came from a German music critic in 1832 who impressionistically compared the effect to "moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne."

Beethoven intended it as a prelude, but in the score he instructed the performer to keep the sustain pedal down for the entire movement — a kind of special effect that mixed the music with natural harmonic reverberation from the piano. With its hypnotic triplets and ghostly melody, for Ambient music fans, it's one of the simplest, yet most memorable pieces ever written.

Beethoven may have inadvertently started a movement to redefine the piano as an instrument for contemplative, spatially expanded music, seeding the Impressionism of Debussy, the early ambient music of Satie, and laying the foundations of modern Minimalism.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a program of sublime night music for piano called NOCTURNES. Featured artists are MICHAEL DULIN, KEVIN KELLER, BRUCE LEVINGSTON, JENNY LIN, RALPH ZURMUHLE, LUDOVICO EINAUDI, and CHAD LAWSON.

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PGM 1117R 'PSYCHETRONIC SUMMER' : sept. 6-13

PSYCHEDELIC MUSIC was born in the 1960s, a predictable mutation of psychedelic drugs and popular culture. The roots of the word psychedelic mean "revealing the mind" — a revelation that turned out to be both colorful and unpredictable.

Psychedelic music aimed to reveal an expanded version of the mind, using audible distortion and warped perspective, sustained floating textures and drones, fractal repetitions and feedback, liberally seasoned with sounds from nature and exotic cultures, especially India.

As a trend, it ran its course in the 1960s, was revived in the 1970s, quoted lovingly by fashionable bands in the 80s and 90s, and became a core influence on millennial genres like Trip Hop, Shoegaze, Acid Jazz, Acid House, and the many varieties of Trance — to name a few. We just can't seem to quit it.

Like an aesthetic virus, the pure electronic form of psychedelic music invented in the 1960s and 70s infected musicians using sound as a vehicle for inner space travel and consciousness alteration. In a word: trippy.

Along the way, these sonic explorers found kindred spirits in archaic traditions like shamanism and pagan rituals. What began as free exploration with mind-bending chemicals ultimately became a quest for new modes of perception, psychological therapy, escape from the normal boundaries of self, and at its most extreme — visions and hallucinations at the borders of oblivion. These grassroots experiments paved the way for the massive tribal-Electronic Dance Music festivals of today, with their promise of transcending self through ecstatic group experience.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey in the altered soundscapes of psychedelic space, on a program called PSYCHETRONIC SUMMER.

Music is by THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON, SCANN-TEC, ISHQ, LIGHTWAVE, FORREST SMITHSON, CYBERNIUM (MICHEL HUYGEN & PASCAL LANGUIRAND), and CSILLAGKÖD.

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PGM 985R 'BADLANDS' : aug. 30-sept. 6

Out on the western range, there's places where the deep prairie meets the desert at the end of the line. Places where the tough get going and the outlaws go to hide: where the land's eroded, the water's scarce, the weather's bad, the nights are dangerous, and everything you see is a survivor. It's called..."The Badlands." 

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, a program inspired by this hard and beautiful environment, called BADLANDS. Music is by DANIEL LANOIS, ERIC TINGSTAD, CARL WEINGARTEN, BRUCE KAPHAN, EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, JAPANCAKES and DAVID TORN.

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PGM 1155R 'NOCTURNAL TRANSMISSIONS' : aug. 23-30

Would you believe me if I told you that all the sounds you're hearing are made with an analog synthesizer? Strange but true. It's the work of KEVIN BRAHENY FORTUNE, one of the early masters of long-form electronic ambient music. And it's a good story. 

The 1970s were a decade of discovery and development for electronic music. Early analog synthesizer modules by ROBERT MOOG, DON BUCHLA, and SERGE TCHEREPNIN fueled an explosion of creativity. If you were serious, you wound up building your own instruments and creating your own sounds. Then KEVIN BRAHENY (the Fortune came later...) was a talented musician and soprano saxophone player in Los Angeles who worked designing and building electronic instruments with several of the early pioneers of analog synthesis in California. 

The foundations for Ambient electronic music were being created out of the new possibilities opened up by the synthesizer, and the psychological and social changes inspired by psychedelic drugs. This new sensibility lead to the creation of extended musical "journeys" of 30 minutes or more, which could be released on cassette. Later, even longer journeys were possible on CD. 

In 1980 Braheny improvised a live 35 minute "lullaby" to close a HEARTS OF SPACE fundraising special on our home station, KPFA-FM in Berkeley. It turned out so well it was released later that year as "Lullaby for the Hearts of Space," along with a composed companion piece called "After I Said Goodnight. " And that's where we begin this edition of Hearts of Space called NOCTURNAL TRANSMISSIONS.

Music is by KEVIN BRAHENY FORTUNE, CHAD HOEFLER, ROBERT RICH, ALIO DIE, and IASOS.

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PGM 810R 'DESERT DREAMFIELDS' : july 26-aug. 2

In the desert, extremes of sun, wind, temperature and terrain challenge all living things to evolve a strategy for survival. So desert travelers take it slow and steady. But for those who venture into its vast spaces, the promise of discovery awaits: a mythic environment of isolation and introspection, concealed by panoramic expanses. In the words of EDWARD ABBEY, the desert is a "window onto eternity." 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a deep journey called DESERT DREAMFIELDS. Music is by STEVE ROACH, DWIGHT LOOP, TOM HEASLEY, and the late A.PRODUCE.

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PGM 917R 'SUMMER DRUMMER' : july 5-12

Since time out of mind, drumming has been both a musical practice and a social magnet. In the warm zone cultures of the Caribbean, Africa, the Indo-Pacific, and Latin America — drumming music is king. When the temperature rises, the blood seems to thin and the body wants to move. For most, it's a time for dancing, but for others, it's an invitation to the hypnotic state of dynamic stillness: the use of rhythm to achieve deeper levels of concentration.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we follow the pulse of the season to its quiet heart, on program called SUMMER DRUMMER. Music is by GLEN VELEZ, JON IVERSON, RAVID, STEPHAN MICUS, LAURA INSERRA & DARREN GIBBS, and ED MANN.

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PGM 1105R 'ATMOSPHERIC' : june 14-21

If there's one thing that Ambient electronic music excels at creating, it's the experience of floating in space. And when that space is high, light, and airy, we call it atmospheric.

Atmospheres have qualities — elevation, temperature, brightness, color, density, and a wide range of tones. When we immerse ourselves in sonic atmospheres, our normal sense of time seems to disappear: suspended in space, we lose track of time. Einstein probably had a special theory about that.

On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, an airy, immersive electronic journey, on a program called ATMOSPHERIC. Music is by KIT WATKINS, JACK HERTZ, CRAIG PADILLA, ROBERT SCOTT THOMPSON, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, and DARSHAN AMBIENT.

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PGM 1077R 'WINDS OF CHANGE' : may 17-24

Ahhh, the fullness of Spring! It arrives when we're not looking, concealed by fresh winds, bright clouds, and unpredictable weather. Beneath the superficial chaos beats a steady rhythm, as the natural world acclimates to more light and heat. The flora bloom and change, while the fauna increase their activity after the restrictions of winter. It's a time for production, and reproduction.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space we sound the fullness of spring, on a program called WINDS OF CHANGE. Music is by ERIK WØLLO, ATOMIC SKUNK, ISHQ, FORREST SMITHSON, DAN POUND, YUNOMI, ALPHA WAVE MOVEMENT, and LEMONGRASS.

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PGM 763R 'QUIET PRAYERS' : april 19-26

Every year at Easter, we take the opportunity to catch up on the finest sounds in sacred choral music. There's something mysterious and majestic in the sound of voices in harmony. As often in the past, we turned to guest producer ELLEN HOLMES of Adagio Recordings, who brought us a bouquet of sublime pieces from the repertoire. 

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, our common theme is QUIET PRAYERS. Not only Easter sacred music — but sacred music that sounds right at Easter. It comes from many countries and spans several centuries: from medieval hymns to 21st century art songs. 

QUIET PRAYERS...a sacred choral collection for Easter, on this edition...of Hearts of Space.

Music is by DOBRI CHRISTOV (Sophia Orthodox Choir), JEAN RICHAFORT (Huelgas Ensemble), G.POPESCU-BRANESTI and PAUL CONSTANINESCU (Kontakion Choir), RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (Bulgarian Voices Angelite), ANONYMOUS (Trio Medieval), JOHN TAVENER (Anonymous 4), MORTEN LAURIDSEN (Nordic Chamber Choir), NIKOLAI KEDROV SR.(Kitka), ALEXANDER SHEREMETIEV (Academy Chorus), JOSEF KETCHAKHMADZE (St. Petersburg Chamber Choir), TOMAS LUIS de VICTORIA (Voices of Ascension), PEROTIN (Choeur Gregorien de Paris-Voix de Femmes), GUILLAUME BOUZIGNAC (Les Arts Florissants), MAURICE DURUFLÉ (Corydon Singers), ARVO PÄRT (Hilliard Ensemble and Christoph Maria Moosmann).

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PGM 762R 'INSIDE LOOKING OUT': A Mark Hollis Retrospective — apr. 5-12

The story of English singer/songwriter MARK HOLLIS is an inspiration to serious musicians and listeners everywhere — a lesson in 'following the muse' to a place of true creativity. 

Born in London in 1955, Hollis came of age in the 1970s and embarked on the mythic road to fame and fortune by starting a rock band. After a few false starts it worked, and the group TALK TALK began a short, brilliant pop music career that included several gold records in England and Europe in the 1980s. 

But Mark Hollis' artistic yearnings pulled him off the beaten track and into a subtle, moving and deeply contemplative space — influenced by jazz, blues, ambient and chamber music, yet sounding unlike anyone else, before or since. 

The two final TALK TALK albums—SPIRIT OF EDEN from 1988 and LAUGHING STOCK from 1991—plus a 1998 solo album titled simply MARK HOLLIS, are all quiet masterpieces and timeless works of art, graced by profoundly poetic lyrics and vocals from powerfully emotional...to evanescent.  On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a MARK HOLLIS Retrospective called INSIDE LOOKING OUT.

Mark Hollis hung up his guitar for the last time in February 2019, aged 64. This program is dedicated to his music and his memory. 

Info: http://users.cybercity.dk/~bcc11425 (fan site) 

SPIRIT OF EDEN Lyrics
LAUGHING STOCK Lyrics
MARK HOLLIS (solo album) Lyrics

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PGM 904R 'THE TURNING TIDE' : march 15-22

Every year at the threshold of spring, we return to the joy and heartache of Celtic music. 
We celebrate a culture whose roots go back to Iron Age Europe, that became one of the foundations of western European folk music, and by virtue of waves of Irish and Scottish immigration, a major element in American folk music as well.

During the last 20 years we had a bit of a boom in Celtic music. These days things have quieted down, but the genre is still abundant with talented musicians and superb recordings. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE it's a timely journey in the Celtic soundscape called THE TURNING TIDE.

Music is by JEFF JOHNSON & BRIAN DUNNING, singers MAEVE McKINNON, KAREN MATHESON and CATRIONA WATT, fiddler ATHENA TERGIS, Celtic harpist AINE MINOGUE, and the bands ALTAN and SOLAS.

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PGM 971R 'WINTER HARMONIES' : feb.22-mar.1

It seems the farther north you go, the warmer the music. It's a generalization to be sure, but whether the genre is North Country folk music, classical, jazz, electronics, or some creative hybrid — northern musicians have a history of chasing away the chill with melodies and harmonies that please the ear, warm the heart, and nourish the soul. More often than not those harmonies are consonant, derived from the great European romantic tradition, and extended with love and care.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a midwinter collection of acoustic instrumentals that bring us that sought-after feeling of warmth and space...on a program called WINTER HARMONIES.

Music is by BILL DOUGLAS, SECRET GARDEN, WILLIAM ZEITLER, JEFF PEARCE, KETIL BJORNSTAD & DAVID DARLING, FRANCOIS COUTURIER, THE TYTINGVAG ENSEMBLE, and introducing M.K.SOL.

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PGM 1099R 'POLARIS' : feb.1-8

WINTER BRINGS CRYSTALLINE BELLS and metallic tones reverberating in chilled electronic soundscapes. In the far north, the long night sky fills with the hypnotic lights of the auroras, while infinite stars sparkle in the frigid air. Warm harmonies and fire in the hearth bring a sense of peace in an uncertain world.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space we set a course on the north star, with a wintry journey to the electronic north, on a program called POLARIS.

Music is by GEORGE WALLACE, ERIK WØLLO, BRYAN CARRIGAN, CHRISTEL VERAART, KLAUS SCHULZE & LISA GERRARD, OÖPHOI & PAUL VNUK JR., and JEFF PEARCE. 

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PGM 1132R 'POLAR FLIGHT 2' : jan. 4-11

We're flying over the north polar icecap — in winter, a dazzling wonderland of white and deep blue. It's a vast glacial world of snow and ice, fractal patterns shot through with veins of melting water. Ambient electronic music, with its chilled harmonies, slowly changing rhythm patterns and endless reverberant sound images, creates the perfect soundtrack for this spectacular landscape.

In the polar night above the Arctic Circle, the winter sun never rises above the horizon; only the hypnotic ion curtains of the auroras relieve the darkness, while the sounds of moving water and breaking ice punctuate the solitude. It's a contemplative environment of sublime majesty and depth.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey to the Arctic north, on a program called POLAR FLIGHT 2. Music is by ASCENDANT, YAGYA, BANCO DE GAIA, SIMON LOMAX, WINGS OF AN ANGEL, and EASYCHORD.

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PGM 1064R 'MAGNIFICAT' : dec.21-28

The great tradition of choral singing has a glorious history extending over thousands of years. Even in these diverse, multicultural, often secular days, the tradition endures because there is something deeply satisfying and essentially human in the sound and the practice of group singing.

Choral groups range from trios to 200 voice chorales; they're often unpaid and done purely for the love of it. The genre has attracted specialist composers in every era, some working within churches and religious institutions, others as solo artists. During the winter holiday season, we enjoy choral classics like The Messiah and traditional hymns and carols in sacred spaces from cathedrals to street corners.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, another sacred music journey from our longtime guest producer for classical and sacred music ELLEN HOLMES, on a program called 'MAGNIFICAT.'

From the Western Christian tradition, we have music by MOZART, HANDEL, CHARPENTIER, COUPERIN, GUERRERO, ANDREA GABRIELI and JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH; from the Eastern Orthodox sacred service, music by ANONYMOUS MASTERS, by ARCHBISHOP IONAFAN, NIKOLAI KEDROV SR., DIVNA and the MELODI CHOIR, N.FRUNZA, ANATOLY LIADOV, and OTTO OLSSON.

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