Julian Loida is a Boston-based percussionist, collaborator, and curator. In September 2019, he released his first full-length studio album, which he describes as a celebration of the shy and introverted. The album features original compositions

Experiencing Pain Through Sound: Ustvolskaya (Pt. 2) and Maryanne Amacher

May 15th, 2019 16m 58s

The last episode of Art Music Perspectives delved into performers’ experience of pain and discomfort in playing the music of Galina Ustvolskaya. In this episode, we’ll explore how listeners can experience pain, often at the hands of composers w

Performing Pain through the Music of Galina Ustvolskaya

Dec 19th, 2018 23m 53s

Soviet composer Galina Ustvolskaya wrote music that seemed to defy the rules of pain/injury prevention for pianists. Her pieces frequently ask the pianist to play with the edges of the hands, the clenched fist, or the forearms. Additionally, th

Ep. 4: Narrative of “The Alpine Chough”

Jan 31st, 2018 21m 51s

Messiaen includes a written account of his birdsong collecting tour in the preface to each movement of the Catalog. Read as a quasi-ethnographic account of the ecology around him, the prefaces can also be interpreted as a type of narrative. Thi

Ep. 3: Natural Sounds in Musical & Social Practice

Dec 30th, 2017 31m 48s

Music history is full of examples of composers who used environmental sounds in their works, notably Ludwig van Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, in which he uses Western instruments to mimic the sounds of three different species of birds. In the

Ep. 2: The Language of Birdsong

Nov 30th, 2017 24m 4s

How does one translate sounds of the forest to the manuscript page, or even describe a natural sound in language? Do Messiaen’s transcriptions succeed? Guests: Mark Berres, ornithologist, and Steve Dembski, composer. Musical performance: “L’alo

Ep. 1: The Catalog of Birds

Oct 31st, 2017 34m 37s

An introduction to Olivier Messiaen’s epic, seven-volume work around birds in the composer’s homeland of France. Special guest: Todd Welbourne, pianist. Musical performance: “Le Courlis Cendre” (The Curlew), Book 7 of the Catalog. Transcript &

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