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 BQE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | October 20, 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:16 | |||
| Label | Asthmatic Kitty | |||
| Producer | Sufjan Stevens | |||
| Sufjan Stevens chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10[2] |
| Metacritic | 73/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10[5] |
| NME | 9/10[6] |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10[7] |
| Slant Magazine | [8] |
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.[9]
Ballet
editJustin Peck's ballet In the Countenance of Kings, made for the San Francisco Ballet, is set to music from The BQE.[10][11]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Total length: | 40:16 | |
Personnel
editProduction
- 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
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BQE Film
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Packaging
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"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
edit| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[14] | 171 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[15] | 18 |
References
edit- ^ "Sufjan Stevens All Delighted People". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
- ^ "Sufjan Stevens: the BQE". Anydecentmusic.com. AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
- ^ "The BQE by Sufjan Stevens". Metacritic. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
- ^ AllMusic review, AllMusic
- ^ "Drowned in Sound review". Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
- ^ "Album review: Sufjan Stevens - 'The BQE'". Nme.com. October 16, 2009. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Greene, Jayson. "Sufjan Stevens: The BQE". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ "Music Archives". Slant Magazine. October 18, 2024. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ Bell, Sean (October 19, 2009). "Sufjan Stevens: American 21st-century Renaissance man". Herald Scotland. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
- ^ "2016 Repertory Season: Program 7: San Francisco Ballet". www.sfballet.org. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
- ^ "Justin Peck world premiere rounds out SF Ballet Program 7" by Leslie Katz, San Francisco Examiner. April 11, 2016. Accessed April 13, 2016.
- ^ "3.5K views · 157 reactions | Sufjan Stevens, "Sleepy Red Wolves" (from the BQE) | "Sleepy Red Wolves," a DVD-exclusive bonus track from Sufjan's BQE. which you can buy here fyi:... | By Asthmatic Kitty Records". Facebook.com. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
- ^ "Pink Narcissus". Pinknarcissus4.tumblr.com.
- ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
- ^ "Sufjan Stevens Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2021.