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I agree with some of the other commenters that this ep seemed "lazy" compared to the rich fare you guys normally serve up. HOWEVER, I am now completely smitten with MtC and would never have known about the show were it not for this podcast. So thanks, Jad.

I have a great passion for music, all types of music. I never really gave much thought about orchestra music until now. The way they talk about music, especially John Luther Adams, has opened my eyes to whole new world. It was very inspirational the way Adams talked about how his life and experiences led him to compose these beautiful songs. I love the way he talks about incorporating particularly his experiences in Alaska, how he got lost in the nature and they way he put it into music. I now have a deeper understanding of what it means to put your life in music and how every day occurrences can become an inspiration for something wonderful.

I love music, and I've always had a respect for composed music but I've never really seen it the way it is here. Music is something to loose yourself in, and it is most definitely a way to convey life at is. John Luther Adams has a wonderful way of seeing music as what it is, and what it isn't. After being immersed into music my whole life, listening to dissonance and radical sounds that don't exactly mesh makes me uncomfortable. But, Adams learns from these quirks and he learns to appreciate them. I have a whole new respect for composed music after listening through his ears.

John Luther Adams raised an idea about music that never occurred to me before. I'm not a huge fan of music in general. When I'm driving the radio is often turned off. But the way he sees music was quite new to me. He sees it as a story, each note telling the listener something new. I don't think I will ever be truly into composition music but this podcast has given me a new respect for it.

Very interesting Podcast. This is a very interesting viewpoint on this type on music. For some, music is very important, it is a way to express ones view or perspective on something. This composer seems to capture this "peculiar" nature of music. John Luther Adams seems to take in his perspective and produce something spectacular. It seems as if he takes in nature, and produces something just as natural, smooth, and flowing.

Clearly many people will find this type of podcast weird, not original or hard to understand, but this is something that only those who understands his/her surroundings and can interpretate it into music can comprehend.

Earth has become humanities slave and is suffering due to how aggressive we are and violent. Music helps this planet speak and try to at least give an SOS, just like natures sounds and noises. Amazing podcast, it truly is a beautiful way of composing.

Semi-interesting self-exploration by a pompous self absorbed contemporary artist done by radio show Q2, and re-digested with about 10 minutes of added audio as an original RadioLab. Seriously MacArthur Foundation should have held off a few years.

Thank you thank you thank you for this episode and for introducing me to the "Meet The Composer" podcast, I love it!

"John [Luther Adams] was one of many people who used Frank Zappa as kind of a gateway drug to the wild frontiers of modern classical music." ------ Nadia Sirota, Meet the Composer, Q2

I waded through the Other Minds/Speaking of Music
https://archive.org/details/SOM_1984_02_02
ten years ago. Thank you Charles Amirkhanian for
introducing me to so much 20th Century music.

And now, much thanks to Jad and Nadia for opening up
the 21st century. I'm pretty much a middlebrow and
I need reindeer meat or alligator fillets to be cut into
small pieces, masked with chili and presented to me by
someone I trust.

I agree with the opinions provided by some above. This one left me feeling deprived.

Radio Lab is getting too lazy for me there are many great podcasts that are just flying by Radiolab. Get off your seat and do some actual work.

Calling this a "Radiolab" episode seems like a stretch--it's like being a professor who publishes their own student's work. I was and am still a little annoyed at the blatant appropriation of someone else's podcast.

And yet, AND YET, I totally forgive you because I discovered not only a fantastic new podcast out of this (Meet the Composer!) but a fantastic new composer as well. Who knew. Turns out I still can't stand the music of John Adams, but am smitten by the music of John LUTHER Adams!

At first I though it was a bit of cheat to be lifting a show from another broadcast. But, I'm so glad that you did. I otherwise wouldn't have discovered the exploration of composers on Q2. I'm looking forward to that series as well as Radiolab! Thanks

I love radiolab, but I have to admit, this one was a little annoying and boring compared to everything else I've heard from them. At certain points, the hosts sounded high (as in the basement circle smoking pot on "That 70s Show" lol)! That said, I did appreciate some of the music towards the end.

I´m sorry to say: this is not Radiolab anymore. I´ve listened from the beginning and been flabbergasted most of the time. Now Radiolab doesn´t sound so unique anymore. Good, crafted and listenable but not as it used to be. I stick to This American Life instead. More conventional but more interesting stories. A little bit disappointed as you can read. Well, you were good some years ago and I reckon that it´s almost impossible to continue to renew the medium every month. Radiolab sounds a bit tired now. Good - but tired.

Thanks, radiolabbers :)

Meanwhile I've listened to the piece on wqxr.org
It's truly magnificent !

Thanks for waking my awareness of this composer.

Thank you Radiolab. I enjoyed the Podcast

It took a long time for me to get over the annoying fast-cut back and forth between Jad and Robert in the narration, but I did, and came to like Radio Lab. Which is why this story is terribly disappointing.

Adams's "amazing", and implied to be creative and novel, bird-song composition(s) were presented without any mention of Olivier Messiaen (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Messiaen). Messiaen originated the extensive use of bird song in 20th-Century music, and his is the first name that comes to mind, if the researcher bothers to take more than 30 seconds to do his/her homework. Disgracefully sloppy work, Jad.

Can people stop incessantly thanking radiolab and start thanking the people who actually made this podcast, Meet the Composer at Q2? Jeez...

Thanks Radiolab. Amazing as usual. If your ears perked up when John Luther Adams described his bird song tutors, you might enjoy watching jazz composer Maria Schneider and vocalist Theo Bleckmann experiment with bird voices here: http://biology.allaboutbirds.org/birds-got-swing-a-musical-experiment/. You'll never think of a sparrow or a toilet plunger in the same way again.

I love Radiolab. This broadcast brought to mind the following:

The Contemporary Classical Composer's Bullsh**t Generator
http://www.dominicirving.com/cccbsg/

This is amazing music and I would not have had any idea about it without this podcast. Thank you so much RadioLab.

This was brilliant. His music is so meditative and powerful. One of my favorite podcasts ever thank you!

I have much the same experience with Gustav Holst and Dmitri Shostakovich on the classical end and with Robert Fripp (King Crimson) & Brian Eno on the progressive rock end. I can't listen to them when I'm alone at night because they scare the heck out of me with all the swirling dissonance punctuated by dynamic...uh...punctuation. Then, I love it because I get lost in all the changes but when I finally find the subtle little rhythms, I find myself in a place of sonic wonder never to be experienced anywhere else. While I can understand and empathize with those who disliked the auditory assault of this podcast, I connected with it the way I connect with a 6 foot wave that breaks way to fast for my novice surfing skills, tumbling and rolling but always feeling more alive than I when I first got in.

I enjoyed the podcast, but jeeze the audio from the music was WAY too loud. I spent the whole podcast having to turn the volume down lest my eardrums be ruptured, and then back up to hear the dialogue.

Awesome show guys. Well done.
I'm a huge music fan ask my life and listen to do many different styles.
There have always been some crazy compositions that I just couldn't listen to. Ever.
Either the tempo or dissonant tones made me uncomfortable.
After listening to this podcast, I've decided to try give them another listen.
Thanks Robert, Jad and John.

Loved this episode, it was an exploration in an auditory landscape. Thanks RL

I love Radiolab and I never comment on ANYTHING on the internet, I am not a troll and I think whatever someone is into is fine.

But I truly cannot understand this type of (I cannot bring myself to call it music) noise. Hey if you like it - good, and if you want to listen to it - great and if you want to bring it to the attention of others - fine.

I will still listen to Radiolab even after this assault because one or two of these a year is worth it and I can always stop listening to it (as I did after a few seconds - then skipped listened and then stopped.