Meteor Farm

Meteor Farm

Wesleyan University Orchestra, Singers, Concert Choir, Gamelan, South Indian Trio, West African Drumming Ensemble, and Big Band conducted by Henry Brant, Neely Bruce, and Richard Winslow Ever imagine what it would sound like if all of the world’s music was played together simultaneously? I’d guess it would sound like Henry Brant’s Meteor Farm, which combines… Read more »

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NewMusicBox Staff

Wesleyan University Orchestra, Singers, Concert Choir, Gamelan, South Indian Trio, West African Drumming Ensemble, and Big Band conducted by Henry Brant, Neely Bruce, and Richard Winslow

Ever imagine what it would sound like if all of the world’s music was played together simultaneously? I’d guess it would sound like Henry Brant’s Meteor Farm, which combines an orchestra, chorus, jazz big band, Indonesian gamelan, South Indian trio, and a Western African drumming ensemble. Each group plays its own music with minimal attempt to connect to what anyone else is doing. In that sense, it’s a rather accurate sonic metaphor for the body politic. However, it’s not quite as portentous as that; it’s actually a rousing good time, and it sounds like it might have even been more fun to have been there live on the campus of Wesleyan University in 1982 when this recording was made. Since such an elaborate undertaking is unlikely to be coming to a theater near you any time soon, it’s great that Innova is finally making this music available to all of us who missed out the first (and thus far only) time around.

—FJO