(2013)
OCEAN CALLING is a trilogy for two pianos dedicated to the ocean. Covering 72% of the planet’s surface and providing half the oxygen we breathe and many other resources, the ocean regulates our climate with currents traversing thousands of miles. But large-scale contaminations, overfishing, acidification, and rising temperatures undermine the ocean’s ability to sustain its own ecosystems and the planet as a whole. I hope the OCEAN CALLING series will help renew our connection with this vital life source and its vast, mysterious realms, and that we will hear the calls from the sea that we are one.
“Waves and Currents” revels in the joy of swimming at the seashore. A child of the North Carolina coast, my earliest memories relate to the flow of tides and surf at the beach: diving into breakers, floating on the surface, and jumping with crests and dips, ever watchful for the next wave about to roll and crash. Metric shifts, contrasting textures, and glissandi, both on the keys and on strings inside the piano, convey the swirling energy of waves, currents, wind, and spray. A metal chain rustles on vibrating strings to mimic the white noise of breakers, while attentive use of the damper pedal suggests liquid, underwater resonance, contrasted with bright, dry sounds above the surface.
To evoke the incredibly varied and fantastical creatures of the sea, “From the Depths” assigns one instrument for coloristic “inside piano” techniques, including stopped notes, harmonic glissandi, plucking or strumming strings, and striking the strings with the side of a glass. The other piano complements these colors with hints of fragility and lilting flow contrasted with urgent dramatic movement, and nostalgic reflections on what may be or already has been lost. The title alludes not only to the depths of the sea, but also to the deep place inside each of us which hears the cries for a life-sustaining universe as our own.
“The Giant Blue” conveys the expanse of the sea and ancient reverberations from the medium where life began. The title also refers to the Giant Blue Whale, believed to be Earth’s largest creature. Blue Whales are known to make two types of calls: the “A” call, which is a regular pulsing, about 92 beats per minute; and the “B” call, a low moan, dropping in frequency at the end. The music’s pulsating chords with sustained bowed tones recall these whale sounds and their resonance through miles of ocean.If we listen deeply, can we comprehend the whale’s call and the calls of other sea creatures? What do they tell us, as their numbers decrease and their habitats transform? How do we respond?
Please visit the page for each composition in the trilogy to view a perusal score and hear audio excerpts: