“A Music-theater piece in color video”, this is how Robert Ashley describes his notable and ambitious work Music with Roots in the Æther, a fourteen-hour long piece, in which he interviews and records seven distinguished American composers, including himself. Ashley offers rare insights into the musical philosophies, stylistic ideas and techniques of David Behrman, Philip Glass, Alvin Lucier, Gordon Mumma, Pauline Oliveros, Roger Reynolds and Terry Riley, with whom he shared a long-standing friendship. The style of the video presentation comes from Ashley’s “need to find new ways to show music being performed”. He wanted the interviews and performances to be simply videotaped in real time, without being cut or edited in any way. With these thoughtful portraits, Ashley has significantly contributed to the understanding of some of the most innovative musical developments of the 1960s. Three video portraits from Music with Roots in the Æther are featured in this program.