American Highways #17: Desert Highway
The open road, the desert heat, the shimmering mirage in the distance, the mountains also often in the distance. The landscape has been stripped bare by nature of all irrelevant material, of all extraneous detail.
Man is an observer, but not a participant in the landscape. There is nothing for us to do, except pass through. The romance is sung of in their music: John Adams, Frederick Rzewski, George Antheil, Arlo Guthrie, Concrete Blonde, Henry Cowell, and Butterfly.
More at www.GuyLivingston.com/radio
Theme Music :
Steve Reich. The Desert Music (1984)
First Movement (Fast).
Chorus of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Members of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Michael Tilson Thomas & William Carlos Williams.
Nonesuch Records 79101.
George Antheil
1. Sonata No. 4 (1948) – I. Allegro Giocoso
Guy Livingston, pianist.
WERGO 6661-6
Arlo Guthrie
2. Highway In the Wind
Arlo Guthrie, vocalist.
Reprise Records 6267-2
Henry Cowell
3. Ancient Desert Drone
The Symphony Of Los Angeles & Werner Janssen
Essential Media Group 2012
Concrete Blonde
4. Mojave
Concrete Blonde, performers.
Eleven Thirty 7001
Butterfly
5. Desert Highway
Butterfly
Unknown
John Adams
Road Movies
7. relaxed groove
8. meditative
9. 40% swing
Andrew Russo, piano; James Ehnes, violin.
Blackbox-BBM1098
Frederic Rzewski
10. Blues from the Road
Marcel Worms, piano
NM Extra98014
Navajo traditional
11. Navajo Pow Wow Song
Marcos Size and various artists.
Stillwater Sound 2012
John Adams
12. Hallelujah Junction (1996) For Two Pianos
Ralph Van Raat And Maarten Van Veen, pianists.
Naxos 8.559285
