In this special show, Q2 explores the work of the composer Milton Babbitt, who passed away on Jan. 29 at age 94. Included are many longtime Babbitt colleagues, students and fellow composers whose lives he's touched.

This two-hour, 70th-birthday celebratory episode of WNYC host Tim Page's groundbreaking series New, Old and Unexpected is the culmination of Q2's archival look at the life and times of recently deceased composer and pedagogue Milton Babbitt. This immersive, unparalleled interview with the seminal 20th century composer paves the way for host Nadia Sirota's exploration Friday at 8 p.m. on Q2 of how Babbitt forever changed our contemporary musical landscape and language.

In this 1973 interview from the WNYC archives, Milton Babbitt speaks with legendary announcer Martin Bookspan. Included are live concert recordings of performances that were not commercially available at the time.

As opinions from across the spectrum of musically-minded come in about the passing of Milton Babbitt's passing, we thought we'd launch Q2's audio coverage with a 1985 Meet the Composer interview of Milton Babbitt with longtime WNYC host Tim Page. Listen Friday evening at 8 p.m for Q2 host Nadia Sirota's deep audio rich dive into the life and music of Milton Babbitt, with insights from many of Babbitt's closest colleagues, collaborators and students.

Milton Babbitt, a composer known for his staggeringly complex yet lucid, jazzy and occasionally humorous work, died on Saturday in Princeton, NJ. He was 94.