“Climbing the World Tree” takes listeners on a journey through this universal mythic symbol across musical cultures. From Kate Daisy Grant’s contemporary British folk tribute to the ash tree, through Latvian, Magyar, and Norse interpretations, to Bartholomäus Traubeck’s experimental translation of tree rings into piano notes, we journey through diverse sonic landscapes. There’s even a brilliant slice of French pop courtesy of Frêne. The program culminates in Bronius Kutavičius’s powerful Lithuanian oratorio “The Tree of the World” – a piece that emerged during the Baltic “Singing Revolution” and speaks to both cosmic harmony and cultural resilience. The DJ apologizes for mangling the pronunciation of so many words!
Tag: Trees
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0041: Songs for the Trees
Is there any other living being that symbolizes life on Earth more readily than the tree? Microbes are fundamental, but they’re a lot harder for us humans to perceive. Trees are visible. While Dan Sperling bemoans the fact that we can’t see the forest, in this episode we celebrate the fact that we can, indeed, see the trees. Kate Daisy Grant & Nick Pynn’s forthcoming album, “Songs for the Trees,” makes an especially strong case with each track honoring a different species. Folk singer Tom Neilson shares what might be his most spiritual song, “Tamarack Tree,” and we end with a devastating tribute from Dana Lyons.