A home for new and unusual music from all corners of the classical genre, brought to you by the power of public media. Second Inversion is a service of Classical KING FM 98.1.
New Year, new site! Second Inversion is merging our website with our parent station, Classical KING.
Starting in 2024, you’ll find all future episodes of Second Inversion throughwww.ClassicalKING.org. Our show webpage will be your access point for all things new music, including upcoming episodes and in-studio performance videos, as well as our full archive of Second Inversion articles and interviews.
Thank you for another year of new musical discoveries—and cheers to the many more still to come! See you in the New Year on ClassicalKING.org.
The life of a musician is filled with many travels: glamorous nights spent performing in cities all over the world, and long days spent—well, at the airport.
On this Saturday’s episode of Second Inversion, we’re exploring music inspired by the thrill of travel—and the tedious process of actually getting to your destination. We’ll hear music of airplanes, airports, and of course, the accompanying jet lag. Please place your seat backs and tray tables in their full, upright position.
byMaggie MolloyConnor Chee, the Danish String Quartet, and Nathalie Joachim are among the musicians featured in this week’s episode.
We often think of classical music as kind of the opposite of folk music. Classical music values complexity, precision, and perfection—it runs counter to some of the warmth, immediacy, and community-oriented aspects that are so central to folk music.
And yet, classical composers across history have found inspiration in folk traditions the world over. On this week’s episode, we’ll explore modern takes on classic folk tunes from around the globe. Tune in for a Navajo corn-grinding chant, folk songs from the women of Haiti, traditional wedding tunes from the Danish island of Fanø, and an instrument used to communicate with the ancestral spirits of the Shona people.
From the pulsing minimalism of Max Richter to the visceral bite of Roomful of Teeth, the theatricality of modern music comes alive onstage during Seattle Theatre Group’s 2019-2020 season. We’re thrilled to partner with STG to offer Second Inversion listeners early access and a 15% discount on tickets to three of our favorite STG shows this season.
Click here to grab your tickets before they go on sale to the general public, and use the code SECONDINVERSION at checkout for 15% off and reduced service fees.
Thirty years after Robert Mapplethorpe’s death, his controversial photographs remain radical and subversive. Working in New York City in the 70s and 80s, his portraiture was provocative in its classical, even statuesque portrayals of nudity, eroticism, queer identity, and BDSM. In this multimedia tribute featuring music by Bryce Dessner, poetry by Essex Hemphill and Patti Smith, and performances by the inimitable Roomful of Teeth, Mapplethorpe’s visceral images are displayed in unprecedented drama and scale.
Max Richter is one of those very few classical composers whose fan base is comprised largely of non-classical concertgoers. Equal parts composer, performer, and producer, his music combines the sensitivity and nuance of classical music with the shimmering serenity of ambient and electronic. Hovering above a collection of keyboards and synthesizers, he builds electroacoustic sound worlds that are as introspective as they are immersive. For this concert, he performs them with soprano Grace Davidson and musicians of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Over the past five decades the Kronos Quartet has explored just about every corner of contemporary music—from minimalism to microtonality, film scores to folk songs, and musical traditions from around the globe. They’ve also played a major role in championing new music, commissioning over 1,000 new works and arrangements to date. Their new live documentary A Thousand Thoughts, created by filmmaker Sam Green and writer Joe Bini, tells the story of the quartet’s groundbreaking career, featuring archival footage and interviews with collaborators like Philip Glass, Terry Riley, and Laurie Anderson—all while the Kronos Quartet performs the live score.
Step inside our Second Inversion music library with this special episode of Classical KING FM’s NW Focus LIVE—now available for on-demand listening!
Maggie Molloy, Second Inversion Editor.
Second Inversion Editor Maggie Molloy joins KING FM’s Sean MacLean on his weekly show to share a handful of live and local musical performances recorded right here in Seattle.
So, what’s on the playlist? We don’t want to give too much away, but suffice to say it features music from Seattle’s favorite brass quartet, a vocal ensemble with some serious bite, an ocean of percussion, and a whole lot more—including a brand new, unreleased recording captured in our studios just last month.
Plus: Maggie talks with Sean about the thrill of discovering new sounds, the surprising intersections of old and new music, and what makes Seattle’s new music scene so vibrant. Listen to the episode on-demand below!
This special Second Inversion episode of NW Focus LIVE originally aired on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 at 8pm PT on Classical KING FM 98.1.
