Braxton, Anthony
Entry updated 20 June 2025. Tagged: Music, People.
(1945- ) US saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist and composer, whose bewilderingly vast output is most commonly associated with free jazz, in which field he has been hugely influential; but he ranges much more widely. Among his more ambitious works are a series of vocal pieces and operas, several of which touch on Utopian themes. Trillium X (written 2009-2014; first performed 2023; first recording 2025) is a four-hour opera which is initially set on a pirate ship on Earth, but moves to the planet Zarbock, where Robot police rise up against humanity. It ends with the destruction of Earth. Braxton's orchestral writing allows for a surprising amount of Humour among the dissonance and theatrical flourishes. Sadly his ambition to perform a simultaneously relayed concert with musicians aboard the International Space Station remains as yet unrealized. [CWa]
Anthony Braxton
born Chicago: June 4, 1945
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