The BQE (soundtrack)

The BQE
Soundtrack album by Sufjan Stevens
Released	October 20, 2009
Genre	Classical, Electronic, Post-rock
Length	40:09
Label	Asthmatic Kitty
Producer	Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens chronology
Songs for Christmas (2006)Songs for Christmas2006 The BQE (2009) All Delighted People EP (2010)All Delighted People EP2010

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
BBC	(favourable)
Drowned In Sound	(7/10)
NME	(9/10)
Pitchfork Media	(7.4/10)
Slant Magazine

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.

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

External links

• Asthmatic Kitty Records' page for The BQE