KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Speaking of Music: Morton Subotnick, 1985, 2 of 2
Analog Audio
Event Type
Interview and MusicOrigin
KPFAIdentifier
SOM.1985.01.10.BProgram Series
Speaking of MusicProgram Length
89 minPart
2 of 2Dates
1986-03-21 | broadcast| 1985-01-10 | created
Description
Charles Amirkhanian interviews pioneering electronic music composer Morton Subotnick on Jan. 10, 1985, as part of the San Francisco Exploratorium’s Speaking of Music series. Subotnick is one of the leading composers in combining acoustic instruments and electronic processing. His “ghost electronics” change and redirect the sound of the instruments as they play. The focus of this discussion is Subotnick’s “The Double Life of Amphibians”, a work of musical theater that combines a chamber ensemble, several Buchla 400 synthesizers, and the vocals of Joan La Barbara. The piece takes as its theme or metaphor, the biological model of evolution, and seeks to relate in musical terms the rise of life from out of the sea and onto the land, and the development of the human spirit. Subotnick illustrates his points with multiple excerpts from the piece, slides, and a brief video documentary. The program concludes with a stunning recording of “The Last Dream of the Beast” featuring the vocals of Joan La Barbara.Genres
Electro-Acoustic / ElectronicMusic Theater
Musical Selections
The Last Dream of the Beast [from “The Double Life of Amphibians”] (1979) (14:40)Performers
Joan La Barbara, vocalsErika Duke, violoncello
Dane Little, violoncello
Subjects
Electro-acousticElectronic music
Music theater
Vocalises with cello
Vocalises with electronics
Acknowledgment
Funding for the preservation of this program made possible through a grant by Save America’s Treasures, a program of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.Related places
San Francisco (Calif.) (was recorded at)Berkeley (Calif.) (was broadcast at)
Related Entities
Amirkhanian, CharlesSubotnick, Morton
La Barbara, Joan, 1947-
Kirkpatrick, Erika Duke
Little, Dane