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As lyrical a musician as he is, without his commanding use of language (the song cycle is entirely instrumental), the BQE loses some momentum near the end, but by then it's become clear that, as is the case with all of his projects, the term "half-assed" does not apply.
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It’s a compliment to Stevens when one notices that listening to the music alone is rewarding and yet, the shots from the documentary are what run vivid in your head.
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Take The BQE on its own terms and there’s plenty to enjoy.
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The BQE is best listened to in complete ignorance of the track titles, packaging, or even professed subject matter. The music speaks best when it speaks for itself.
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The audio-visual experience, fondly known as The BQE, centers on the history of New York’s Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and its conceit works because of its composer’s breadth of influence.
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Pop go the classics with Sufjan Stevens.
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MojoImpressive as it all is, a genuine follow-up to Illinois feels overdue. [Dec 2009, p. 92]
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The BQE is a lushly extravagant score that merges quite easily into Sufjan's grand catalogue. All who lend an ear to his opus will look upon the titular thoroughfare with a kinder eye, even if that view does not have the benefit of reminiscence.
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Complex and artful, there’s no need to understand fugues and canons to appreciate this--its utter perfection and joy is self-evident.
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It’s his most ambitious undertaking to date, and while it presents no obvious singles or easy entry points, he pulls it off without it feeling pretentious or ponderous.
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The BQE is probably best classified as an unusually successful vanity project, as well as evidence of Stevens' restless creativity.
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It is at times derivative, but it is overall a transcendent work by one of the most promising musician-artists in the contemporary scene.
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While The BQE might not put Stevens in the running as the most groundbreaking voice in contemporary classical music, it's certainly a damn sight better than the orchestral efforts squeezed out over the last several years by the likes of Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, et al.
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His ideas are realized with the confidence of a seasoned composer, comfortable with implementing all corners of the orchestra to wondrous effect.
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Stevens’ lengthy essay gets pretentious quickly, and the CD of music has little appeal to those who don’t already listen to classical.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 13 out of 21
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Mixed: 4 out of 21
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Negative: 4 out of 21
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Oct 31, 2018
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Feb 23, 2017
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Oct 31, 2018Not going to lie. I expected more from this. However there are some good parts - like when it ended. At least I gave it a go, I'll tell myself.