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

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

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
An American Mirror

An American Mirror

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel extends the 250th anniversary celebrations with two hours of works by contemporary American composers, including Derrick Skye, Jennifer Higdon, Jessie Montgomery, Shelley Washington, Curtis Stewart and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
VIEW ALL EPISODES
YourClassical Radio
00:00
Infinity:NaN