Conceived as a tribute to Elliott Carter on the occasion of his 100th birthday, this special program from 2008 explores the compositional roots of the iconic American composer, as well as the ramifications of his complex, powerfully influential music. Terrance McKnight interviews Carter specialist Nadia Sirota, both of whom were hosts on WNYC Radio.

Carter was not only an important musical presence for most of the last century, but when this special aired, was still churning out new and challenging works. Sirota and McKnight look at the tuneful early works through the Pulitzer Prize-winning string quartets, thus tracing the emergence and development of Carter's innovative compositional techniques.

Here's a photo of Nadia Sirota's Carter-related Hauptstimme and Nebenstimme tattoos: