2009 soundtrack album by Sufjan Stevens
The BQE is a mixed-medium artistic exploration of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway by Sufjan Stevens . The project originally manifested in the form of a live show, performed on November 1–3, 2007. The show consisted of an original film, directed and written by Stevens, accompanied by an orchestra performing a live soundtrack.
The album recording was made after the rehearsals for the show. It was recorded live during a one-day session in Legacy Studios' A509 orchestral suite (since closed and demolished) with most of the group in the same large room together.
A multimedia package of The BQE was released on October 20, 2009. The set consists of a CD of the show's soundtrack, a DVD of Brooklyn-Queen Expressway footage that accompanied the original performance (not a film of the performance itself), a 40-page booklet with liner notes and photos, and a stereoscopic 3D View-Master reel. There is also a limited edition version that features the soundtrack on 180-gram vinyl and a 40-page BQE-themed comic book starring the show's hula-hooping wonder women, The Hooper Heroes.
Regarding The BQE , Stevens said:
I intended to create a non-personal, non-narrative piece. I tried to reduce my own personal investment as much as possible, and I refused to incorporate one of my strengths, which is the song. I was relinquishing my greatest weapon.[ 9]
Ballet
Justin Peck 's ballet In the Countenance of Kings , made for the San Francisco Ballet , is set to music from The BQE .[ 10] [ 11]
Track listing
Title 1. "Prelude on the Esplanade" 2:56 2. "Introductory Fanfare for the Hooper Heroes" 1:07 3. "Movement I: In the Countenance of Kings" 5:19 4. "Movement II: Sleeping Invader" 4:34 5. "Interlude I: Dream Sequence in Subi Circumnavigation" 3:33 6. "Movement III: Linear Tableau with Intersecting Surprise" 4:09 7. "Movement IV: Traffic Shock" 3:24 8. "Movement V: Self-Organizing Emergent Patterns" 3:45 9. "Interlude II: Subi Power Waltz" 0:28 10. "Interlude III: Invisible Accidents" 0:54 11. "Movement VI: Isorhythmic Night Dance with Interchanges" 3:17 12. "Movement VII (Finale): The Emperor of Centrifuge" 3:51 13. "Postlude: Critical Mass" 2:59 Total length: 40:16
DVD-only bonus track Title 14. "The Sleeping Red Wolves[ 12] [ 13] " 4:23 Total length: 44:39
Personnel
Production
Alejandro Venguer, assisted by Jeff Kirby and Tyler Van Dalen – recording, legacy studios, New York City
Casey Foubert, James McAlister, and Sufjan Stevens – additional recording, Sufjan's office in Brooklyn
Sufjan Stevens – mixing
Lisa Moran – production management
Michael Atkinson – music editing, copyist
Performing artists
Tim Albright – trombone
Hideaki Aomori – clarinet
Mat Fieldes – upright bass
Casey Foubert – electric guitar
Josh Frank – trumpet
Alan Hampton – upright bass
Marla Hansen – viola, vocals
Jay Hassler – bass clarinet, clarinet
Maria Bella Jeffers – cello
Ben Lanz – trombone
Olivier Manchon – violin
Rob Moose – violin
Sato Moughalian – flute, piccolo
Damian Primis – bassoon
Theo Primis – French horn
Joey Redhage – cello
Kyle Resnick – trumpet
Yuuki Matthews – bass, beats
Beth Meyers – viola
James McAlister – drums, percussion, drum programming, sequencing, synthesizers, sound effects, etc.
Matt Moran – drums, percussion
Arthur Sato – oboe
Alex Sopp – flute, alto flute, piccolo
Hiroko Taguchi – violin
Amie Weiss – violin
Sufjan Stevens – "everything else"
Michael Atkinson – conductor
BQE Film
Anastasia-Dyan Pridlides – botanica
Elaine Tian – quantus
Lindsay Brickel – electress
Sufjan Stevens – direction, cinematography, editing
Reuben Kleiner – cinematography, editing
Malcolm Hearn – editing
Bryant Fisher and Blink Digital – post-production
Packaging
Denny Renshaw – photography
Anastasia-Dyan Pridlides – botanica
Elaine Tian – quantus
Lindsay Brickel – electress
Stephen Halker – bailey
Virginia Bradley Linzee – makeup
Belinda Martin – wardrobe
Caroline McAlister – costume design, costumes
Sufjan Stevens – photography, layout, design, illustrations
"Hooper Heroes" Comic Book/Stereoscopic Reel
Sufjan Stevens – story, writing
Stephen Halker – story, penciling, inking, lettering, coloring
Heidi Cho – coloring
David Min – coloring
Matt Loux – cover watercolour
Christian Ackler – cover masthead
Charts
References
^ "Sufjan Stevens All Delighted People" . AllMusic . Retrieved August 5, 2016 .
^ "Sufjan Stevens: the BQE" . anydecentmusic.com . AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved May 29, 2018 .
^ "The BQE by Sufjan Stevens" . Metacritic . Retrieved April 29, 2019 .
^ AllMusic review
^ "Drowned in Sound review" . Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009 .
^ NME review
^ Pitchfork review
^ Slant review
^ Bell, Sean (October 19, 2009). "Sufjan Stevens: American 21st-century Renaissance man" . Herald Scotland . Retrieved November 26, 2009 .
^ "2016 Repertory Season: Program 7: San Francisco Ballet" . www.sfballet.org . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
^ "Justin Peck world premiere rounds out SF Ballet Program 7 " by Leslie Katz, San Francisco Examiner. April 11, 2016. Accessed April 13, 2016.
^ https://www.facebook.com/asthmatickitty/videos/10154819349836412/ [user-generated source ]
^ "Pink Narcissus" .
^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved January 30, 2021.
^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Independent Albums)" . Billboard . Retrieved May 30, 2021.
External links
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