Composer of the Week: Julius Eastman

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

Composer of the Week - Brand

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: Julius Eastman (1940-1990): 4. To The Fullest

4. To The Fullest

Julius Eastman (1940-1990)

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, Julius Eastman (1940-1990), 4. To The Fullest

Donald Macleod discovers how identity politics permeated Eastman’s work

Donald Macleod attempts to unravel the enigmatic, remarkable story of Julius Eastman and his music. Today, he discovers how identity politics permeated Eastman's work.

Donald Macleod discovers how identity politics permeated Eastman’s work

When this week’s composer died homeless and alone in 1990, almost no one knew, not even his friends, and his work threatened to disappear with him.  Julius Eastman had lit up America’s contemporary music scene as a spellbinding performer and a visionary composer whose music is difficult to pigeonhole. A gay, black man in the predominantly white world of new music, Eastman was often misunderstood. His musical voice fused minimalism with pop and the avant-garde, and was inextricable from his identity politics - a sound that was provocative then and remains so today.  He collaborated with luminaries such as Pierre Boulez, Peter Maxwell Davies and Meredith Monk but also faced many struggles, leading to his premature and tragic decline. This week, Donald Macleod shares his long-overdue story, with insights from American baritone Davone Tines, a performer and champion of Eastman’s music.

Today, Donald invites us into Eastman’s New York, and explores the impact he made there. From the disco to the Downtown experimental music scene, Eastman was a musical chameleon who embraced all the activity and collaboration on offer. But he was also someone who refused to compromise or give up on his principles – and his music, which defiantly affirmed his identity as a black, gay man, found contention because of it. Donald and Davone discuss Eastman’s most notorious run-in with censorship, and we hear about the tragic moment on a Brooklyn kerbside that would be his point of no return.

Dinosaur L: No, Thank You!

Femenine (Part 1 – Prime)
Wild Up
Christopher Rountree, conductor

Evil N*****
Julius Eastman, Frank Ferko, Janet Kattas, Patricia Martin, pianos

Touch Him When
HOCKET Ensemble, pianos

Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker

Composer of the Week: Julius Eastman (1940-1990)

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Donald Macleod attempts to unravel the enigmatic, remarkable story of Julius Eastman.

Donald Macleod attempts to unravel the enigmatic, remarkable story of Julius Eastman - a spellbinding performer and visionary composer, whose music is difficult to pigeonhole.

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Julius Eastman (1940-1990)

4. To The Fullest

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