Folk poster boy Sufjan Stevens will debut his orchestral piece The BQE at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival next week. The shows on Nov. 1-3 are sold out, but this Sunday, Oct. 28, from 7 to 8 p.m., Mr. Stevens will preview some of his orchestral work on David Garland’s radio show "Spinning on Air", according to Pitchfork. You can listen online at WNYC. Check out a video excerpt of the session here.
Robert Moses’ controversial 11.7-mile roadway tears through neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens with the brute force of modern urban planning, and in Stevens’ hands becomes an evocation of the intersection of intimate experience and the American Dream. Merging a virtual road trip shot on film with a live band and orchestral ensemble, The BQE discovers abstract patterns and stories in the snaking traffic, potholed pavement, billboards, badly marked exits, and beautiful city views, revealing what happens when Manifest Destiny converges with urban blight.
