Currier's 'Time Machines'

Synopsis When you listen to classical music like Bach or Mozart, you are taking a trip in a time machine. Or, as Shirley MacLaine might put it, “Classical music is the soundtrack of your previous lives.” American composer Sebastian Currier went even further, and said: “It’s only a little bit of an exaggeration to say that music is made of nothing but time ­­— well, and air too … melodic or rhythmic gestures are made of a series of events moving forward in time. … the rest is air. A musician bows a string, blows air in a cylinder, strikes a metal object, and a series of sound waves take that information to our ears … It has always been fascinating to me that an art form that is so penetrating … is made of such ephemeral stuff.” So no surprise Currier gave the title Time Machines to his work for violin and orchestra that premiered in New York City on today’s date in 2011. The German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter was the soloist performing with the New York Philharmonic led by Alan Gilbert, and they made a live recording of the new work. Music Played in Today's Program Sebastian Currier (b. 1959): Time Machines ; Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin; New York Philharmonic; Alan Gilbert, conductor (recorded live June 2, 2011); DG 477 9359

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Currier's 'Time Machines' is an episode from Composers Datebook by American Public Media.

This episode is 00:02:00 long.

This episode was published on Jun 2, 2026.

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