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Donald Macleod follows Eastman as he makes a pivotal move in his musical game plan

When this week’s composer died homeless and alone in 1990, almost no one knew, not even his friends, and his work threatened to disappear with him. Julius Eastman had lit up America’s contemporary music scene as a spellbinding performer and a visionary composer whose music is difficult to pigeonhole. A gay, black man in the predominantly white world of new music, Eastman was often misunderstood. His musical voice fused minimalism with pop and the avant-garde, and was inextricable from his identity politics - a sound that was provocative then and remains so today. He collaborated with luminaries such as Pierre Boulez, Peter Maxwell Davies and Meredith Monk but also faced many struggles, leading to his premature and tragic decline. This week, Donald Macleod shares his long-overdue story, with insights from American baritone Davone Tines, a performer and champion of Eastman’s music.

Today, Donald charts the most prolific but pivotal period in Eastman’s life. With a respectable teaching job at a prestigious university, a house, and a fulfilling performing career, things seem to be going well for him in Buffalo. But, as an unpredictable character who rarely feels at home in his environment, can it last – and where to, next?

Joy Boy
SEM Ensemble

Stay On It
Georgia Mitoff, voice
Petr Kotik, piano
Benjamin Hudson, violin
Amrom Chodos, clarinet
Joseph Ford, Doug Gaston, saxophones
Dennis Kahle, Jan Williams, percussion
Julius Eastman, director

Fugue No 7
Kukuruz Quartet, pianos

Arthur Russell: Instrumentals, Part I
CETA Orchestra
Julius Eastman, conductor

Produced in Cardiff by Amelia Parker