Poster Composer Jennifer Higdon
This episode of 'Extra Eclectic' features music by composer Jennifer Higdon.
Andrew Bogard
Extra Eclectic

Into the mountains

Extra Eclectic - April 24, 2024

Don some good hiking boots — we’re ascending the mountains in the first hour of Extra Eclectic and encountering some of the native fauna as we go. Host Steve Seel shares Jane Antonia Cornish’s Sierra, Alexandra Gardner’s Vixen and Jennifer Higdon’s Coyote Nights, as well as Iranian composer Kayan Kalhor’s Mountains are Far Away. In the second hour, we hear music by Peteris Vasks, Helen Grime, Gabriella Smith and more.

Playlist

Vixen
Alexandra Gardner
Bill Ryan
Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble
Innova 44

High Sierra Sonata
Ben Shirley
Pacifica Quartet
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Cedille 216

Sierra
Jane Antonia Cornish
Vicky Chow, piano
Canteloupe 21174

Mountains are Far Away
Kayhan Kalhor
Silk Road Ensemble
Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Sony 93962

Memoryhouse: Fragment/Embers
Max Richter
Angele Dubeau, conductor
La Pieta
Angele Dubeau, violin
Analekta 8745

Spark
Fuse & Gabriella Smith
Fuse
Fusemusic 2024

Virga
Helen Grime
Mark Elder, conductor
Halle Orchestra
NMC 199

The Chill Air
Brian Eno
Bruce Brubaker, piano
InFine 926442

Lonely Angel
Peteris Vasks
Jonathan Stockhammer, conductor
Berlin Konzerthaus Orchestra
Mari Samuelsen, violin
DG 4835869

The Layers
Herschel Garfein
Sophie Shao, cello
Centaur 4052

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

The Proms, and other things British

The Proms, and other things British

‘Extra Eclectic’ continues our time at the 2026 BBC Proms Festival this week with Welsh composer Gwilym Simcock’s Triple Concerto for Saxophone, Horn and Cello performed by the soloists who premiered it: Jess Gillam, Ben Goldscheider and Sheku Kanneh-Mason. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Jazz influences

Jazz influences

A performance of Wynton Marsalis’ Concerto for Orchestra recorded at the 2026 BBC Proms offers a look at modern classical works inspired by jazz on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ which also showcases works by Jon Batiste, Earl Louis Stewart and Jeff Scott. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:59:00
A brass celebration

A brass celebration

Brass instruments are the focus on episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ in solo, duo and ensemble settings. Selections include Valerie Coleman’s ‘Fanfare for Uncommon Times,’ Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Apparition du Christ Glorieux’ and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:58
Earth sounds

Earth sounds

The Earth is our one home, and on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ contemporary composers pay tribute in their music, including Erland Cooper, whose ‘Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ incorporates the Earth as a collaborator. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Moments and eternities

Moments and eternities

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ we hear considering both fleeting moments and the vastness of eternity, including Chris Rogerson’s ‘Thirty Thousand Days’ and Steve Reich’s ‘Proverb.’ Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Questions and answers

Questions and answers

Host Steve Seel poses a lot of musical questions on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ and you’ll have to decide if you hear any answers. Charles Ives’ ‘The Unanswered Question’ is “answered” by Laurie Spiegel’s work ‘The Unquestioned Answer.’

1:58:58
Eternity and beyond

Eternity and beyond

While classical music can sometimes be about frivolous things, this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ is concerned strictly with ideas on a higher plane. Host Steve Seel brings us Olivia Belli’s ‘Limina Luminis,’ Arvo Pärt’s ‘Tabula Rasa’ and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
The American Vanguard

The American Vanguard

On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, host Steve Seel showcases the music of giants such as Philip Glass, Meredith Monk and Steve Reich: composers who introduced fresh thinking into the genre and opened the concert hall to new audiences. Listen now!

1:58:59
Folk music inspirations

Folk music inspirations

We continue our month-long celebration of American music on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ by looking at how contemporary composers reference American folk idioms in their works, including bluegrass, hymns and lullabies. Selections include music by Daron Hagen, Jennifer Higdon and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:58
Elements of jazz

Elements of jazz

Steve Seel presents another week of purely American sounds on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ and this time, it’s works written by musicians associated primarily with jazz. We hear works by Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny and more.

1:58:58
VIEW ALL EPISODES
YourClassical Radio
00:00
Infinity:NaN