Poster Black-and-white photo of a woman with her hands clasped over her chest
Molly Joyce's ‘It Has Not Taken Long for You to Break’ is featured on this episode of 'Extra Eclectic.'
Shervin Lainez
Extra Eclectic

Extra-musical elements

Extra Eclectic - June 8, 2026

We hear from composers trying their hand at working outside the traditional classical music approach on this episode of Extra Eclectic, with works featuring unorthodox instruments and compositional approaches. Often, that means adding electronic touches, such as in Echo Collective’s Unknown Gates and Molly Joyce’s It Has Not Taken Long for You to Break, or, in the case of Johann Johannsson’s A Prayer to the Dynamo, inserting field recordings from an Icelandic power station as part of the score. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

Playlist

Unknown Gates
Composer: Margaret Hermant/Neil Leiter/Gary De Cart
Orchestra/Ensemble: Echo Collective
7K! 24

Can’t Touch This or That or You or My Face
Composer: Kaki King
Soloists: Kaki King, guitar
Cantaloupe 21162

Seeing is Believing
Composer: Nico Muhly
Conductor: Nicholas Collon
Orchestra/Ensemble: Aurora Orchestra
Soloists: Thomas Gould, electric violin
London/Decca 4782731

Spectra
Composer: Anna Thorvaldsdottir
Orchestra/Ensemble: International Contemporary Ensemble
Dorian 92227

Music for Airports: 1/2
Composer: Brian Eno
Orchestra/Ensemble: Bang on a Can All-Stars
Point 536847

Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence: sunwards turn
Composer: Erland Cooper
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Collective
Soloists: Daniel Pioro, violin
Mercury KX 6576069

It Has Not Taken Long for You to Break
Composer: Molly Joyce
Soloists: Inbal Segev, cello
Avie 2465

A Prayer to the Dynamo
Composer: Johann Johannsson
Conductor: Daniel Bjarnason
Orchestra/Ensemble: Iceland Symphony Orchestra
DG 4864870

What All This Is
Composer: Harmen Fraanje
Soloists: Arve Henriksen, trumpet
ECM 2794

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

Extra-musical elements

Extra-musical elements

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ we hear works featuring unorthodox instruments and compositional approaches, including Echo Collective’s ‘Unknown Gates’ and Molly Joyce’s ‘It Has Not Taken Long for You to Break.’ Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Rounds, canons and reflections

Rounds, canons and reflections

“Row, row, row your boat,” “Frere Jacques”: rounds are familiar to us all. Make a round a little more complex, and you might get a canon or a fugue. On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, host Steve Seel explores a host of such works. Listen now!

1:58:59
Feathered friends

Feathered friends

Get your binoculars out for this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’! Host Steve Seel brings us two hours of new classical works about birds, including Jennifer Higdon’s ‘An Exaltation of Larks,’ John Luther Adams’ ‘Strange Birds Passing’ and Jocelyn Morlock’s ‘Oiseaux Bleus et Sauvages.’ Listen now!

1:58:59
A spring meditation

A spring meditation

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1:58:59
Beats, Bach and Beethoven

Beats, Bach and Beethoven

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1:58:59
May the fourth

May the fourth

This annual “Star Wars Day” provides the inspiration for the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ with works about space and stars. Steve Seel also pays tribute to composer Michael Harrison, who died on April 17, with a performance of his ‘Just Constellations.’ Listen now!

1:58:58
Earth, teach me quiet

Earth, teach me quiet

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1:58:59
The natural world

The natural world

Host Steve Seel continues our celebration of Earth Month on Extra Eclectic with a nod to composers who are passionate about the protection of nature’s fragile ecosystems: Steven Stucky, Scott Lee, Gabriela Montero and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
Celebrating Earth Month

Celebrating Earth Month

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1:58:59
The passage of time

The passage of time

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