The BQE (soundtrack)

''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:

Ballet

Justin Peck's ballet, ''In the Countenance of Kings'', is set to music from ''The BQE'', made for the San Francisco Ballet.Justin Peck world premiere rounds out SF Ballet Program 7
by Leslie Katz, ''San Francisco Examiner. April 11, 2016. Accessed April 13, 2016.

Track listing

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

Charts

References

External links

Asthmatic Kitty Records' page for ''The BQE''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bqe
Sufjan Stevens soundtracks
Film soundtracks
Interstate 78
Concept albums
2009 soundtrack albums
Albums produced by Sufjan Stevens
Asthmatic Kitty soundtracks
Instrumental soundtracks