The BQE (soundtrack)

The BQE
Soundtrack album by Sufjan Stevens
Released	October 20, 2009
Genre	Classical, Electronic
Length	40:09
Label	Asthmatic Kitty
Producer	Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens chronology
Songs for Christmas (2006) The BQE (2009) All Delighted People EP (2010)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
BBC	(favourable)[2]
Drowned In Sound	(7/10) [3]
NME	(9/10) [4]
Pitchfork Media	(7.4/10) [5]
Slant Magazine	[6]

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.^[7]

Track listing

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

DVD-only bonus track

14. "The Sleeping Red Wolves" – 4:23

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

References

External links

• Asthmatic Kitty Records' page for The BQE