Hearts of Space

PGM 1386R ‘LIGHT TIME’ : dec.12-19

In the brief interlude between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday celebrations, we undergo a rapid change in emotional tone. Gone are the fearful ghosts and goblins of Halloween, the somber melancholy of the autumn season, and the quiet gratitude of Thanksgiving. Approaching the shortest day and longest night of the year on the winter solstice, we celebrate the return of the light.

Today, we chase away the gloom and transform our environment with millions of colorful lights and dazzling screens. From the brilliance of our seasonal displays to the hypnotic warmth of a single candle — we embrace the joy of light and color, and the fulfillment of sound and music. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, electronic ambient for the season of light, on a program called ‘LIGHT TIME.’

Music is by DAVID HELPLING and singer MIRIAM STOCKLEY, JOHAN AGEBJÖRN and singer LISA BARRA, ERIK WØLLO, TOM EATON, ROSS CHRISTOPHER, ROBERT RICH & LUCA FORMENTINI, JON HOPKINS & ÓLAFUR ARNALDS, and WILL BANGS. https://bit.ly/HoS-1386R

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PGM 1411 ‘ARCADIA’ : dec.5-12

The name “Arcadia” is associated with a vision of pastoral simplicity and harmony with nature. The term was inspired by the remote, mountainous Greek province ARKADIA, over 2500 years ago. In time it came to symbolize an unspoiled wilderness of natural splendor and harmony—an unattainable, lost Eden—virtuous and uncorrupted by civilization.

For New York composer KEVIN KELLER, Arcadia was a natural extension of his love for “plainsong” or “plainchant”—the medieval sacred vocal music that originated in the early years of Christianity, and led to the development of the more sophisticated “Gregorian” Chant beginning in the 9th century. Keller’s 2023 album EVENSONG included plainchant melodies and Latin texts by HILDEGARD VON BINGEN, who played a key role in the evolution and eventual dominance of the Gregorian Chant in the 12th century.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, a journey from “Contemporary-Medieval” to “Ethereal Electronic Classical,” on a program called “ARCADIA.” Music is by KEVIN KELLER with SOFIA CAMPOAMOR, BRIAN ENO, IMMERSION THEORY, MEG BOWLES, DEBORAH MARTIN & J.ARIF VERNER, BLUETECH, and JEFF PEARCE.

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PGM 1410 ‘META MODAL’ : nov. 21-28

THIS WEEK on Hearts of Space: a journey across cultural history and music theory, time and tuning

A look at the history of “modal” music and 7 note “diatonic” scales, which set the standard for Western music for over 1100 years. We journey across the musical space between ancient Greece , the Byzantine Empire, the Medieval church, the European folk tradition, and modern chamber-jazz, with the SOKRATIS SINOPOULOS QUARTET, ELENI KARAINDROU, TIGRAN HAMASYAN, CRAIG TABORN, YANN KEERIM.

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PGM 1357R ‘AUTUMN TWILIGHT’ : nov.14-21

Of all the seasons, fall is the one that comes with the most mixed emotions: relief at the return of moderate temperatures, pleasure at nature’s autumn color show, and a feeling of melancholy at the darkening of the light.

Technical interventions like Daylight Saving Time can’t hide the fact that the amount of daylight is decreasing. In the northern hemisphere, we’re counting down to the Winter Solstice—the shortest day of the year, around December 21st.

For ambient musicians, fall offers a darker palette, more somber harmonies, and a call to explore deeper feelings. On this transmission of HEARTS of SPACE, we descend into the dimming light of fall, on a program called “AUTUMN TWILIGHT.”’

Music is by TOM EATON, BOB HOLROYD, SUBDREAM, DEEPSPACE, STEVE ROACH, and RUSSEL WALDER.

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PGM 1409 ‘ADAGIETTO’ : nov.7-14

Sublime melodic classics for string orchestra and small ensembles

The language of music notation is Italian, and the Italian word “adagietto” calls for a musical tempo that falls between adagio—”slow and stately”—and andante—”at a walking pace” — calm, flowing, relaxed.

By far the best known adagietto in the classical repertoire is the gorgeous 4th movement of GUSTAV MAHLER’s Symphony No. 5, which due to its length and beauty is often performed as a standalone concert piece. We’ll be hearing it on this transmission of Hearts of Space from longtime guest producer for classical and sacred music, ELLEN HOLMES, on a special program of much-loved orchestral and chamber classics called ADAGIETTO.

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PGM. 1331R ‘CELLO ELEGIES 2’ : oct.31-nov.7

Mournful…plaintive…melancholy…somber…sonorous…resonant.

The cello is all this and more — a compact, versatile string orchestra in one instrument, with a four-octave range that comes fully alive in the dark days of autumn. On this transmission of Hearts of Space, it’s an autumn journey featuring the plangent tones of the cello, on a program called “CELLO ELEGIES 2.”

Music is by DAVID DARLING, HANS CHRISTIAN, MAYA BEISER, BLACK TAPE for a BLUE GIRL, ERALDO BERNOCCHI & HOSHIKO YAMANE, JESSE AHMANN, MAX RICHTER, and MARCELLO DE FRANCISCI.

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LIVE EVENT Saturday Oct. 25, 2pm

Hearts of Space producer STEPHEN HILL in conversation
with ambient music historian DANIEL BROMFIELD

No.1 in the series “Contemplative Music In Marin”
Saturday Oct. 25th, 2:00pm -3:30pm at the
Belvedere-Tiburon Library, 1501 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon, CA

EVENT PAGE : https://www.beltiblibrary.org/event?id=14376098

Join Stephen Hill, host of the nationally syndicated “space music” radio program Hearts of Space, in discussion with Daniel Bromfield about his over-50-year career on the airwaves and the history of ambient and new age music in Marin and beyond.

Stephen Hill has been broadcasting his nationally syndicated radio program “Hearts of Space” since 1973, focusing on the broad scope of “space music,” which includes the ambient and new age music of which Marin County was a prime incubator in the 1970s.

During this time, he’s brought national attention to ambient, new age and experimental artists while remaining at the cutting edge of technology, being an early adopter of both streaming and AI voice technology.

For the first in a planned series of talks with local luminaries focusing on Marin County’s history as a hub of contemplative music, Hill talks to ambient music historian Daniel Bromfield about his over-50-year career broadcasting the sounds of space over the airwaves.

Daniel Bromfield is a writer, critic and musician based in San Francisco. In addition to writing about music and film for the Marin Independent Journal, he has a prolific freelance career with publications such as Pitchfork, Stereogum and Atlas Obscura.

STEPHEN HILL
DANIEL BROMFIELD

PGM 1406 ‘INDISPENSABLE’ : sept.26-oct.3

Program 1406 banner

Let’s talk about the piano, ladies and gentlemen. It’s so ubiquitous and flexible that it plays a part in almost every area of contemporary music. With its huge dynamic range, rhythmic and percussive capability, chordal and harmonic facility, and melodic expressivity—no other instrument can play as many roles, both solo and within an ensemble. Today, we can enhance its flexibility by modifying the sound of the piano—spatially expanding it with electronics, making it more ethereal; or perversely, celebrating action noise, making it more physical.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, ambient, atmospheric, and contemplative music for the piano, on a program called “INDISPENSABLE.” Music is by LUDOVICO EINAUDI, TOM EATON, KEVIN KELLER, MASAKO, JOSHUA VAN TASSEL, PAUL CANTELON & LILI HAYDN, GABRÍEL ÓLAFS, and BEN LUKAS BOYSEN.

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PGM 941 ‘EQUINOX’ : march 18-24

The Vernal or March equinox is one of two very special days of the year. Not because humans say so, although many cultures have celebrated them for centuries. No, it’s more cosmic than that. Whether by accident or design, the earth’s axis tilts — a little more than 23 degrees relative to the sun.

Our cosmic tilt is the reason we have seasons: as we orbit the sun, the earth’s axis tilts toward it, and then away from it. In March and September, the axis is right in the middle, and the sun points directly at the equator — so night and day are almost exactly the same length everywhere on earth.

In the northern hemisphere, the vernal equinox is the official tipping point between winter and spring. After this, the days grow longer until the summer solstice, then shorter until they’re equal again on the autumn equinox, then shorter still until the winter solstice in December.

On this transmission of Hearts of Space, we mark this moment in our yearly orbital journey with ambient electronics for the seasonal transition, on a program called EQUINOX. Music is by HOLLAN HOLMES, JONN SERRIE, MEG BOWLES, RUDY ADRIAN, CLIVE WRIGHT, and TELOMERE.

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