John Luther Adams transforms natural sounds into meditative, symphonic masterpieces
John Luther Adams, a unique American composer, not to be confused with the John Adams of Nixon in China, transforms the landscape into sound structure and music in many of his compositions. This process began in Alaska, where he was first active in conservation, before settling there permanently in 1978. Since then, he has been singing about the land with major meditative works that sometimes recall the oeuvre of Morton Feldman. ‘My music has always been deeply influenced by the world of nature and a highly conscious undergoing of the place where I am. By continuously listening to the subtle sounds of the landscape, I hope to discover the terrain of the sound geography. That area between space and culture, between surroundings and imagination’, is how he described his work. The symphony orchestra and the choir of the National Forum of Music in Wrocław, Poland, perform two parts of his now famous Becometrilogy in Antwerp. Adams wrote Become Desertfor choir and orchestra after he had left Alaska for the solitude of the Sonoran Desert in Mexico. This is music as a resonant landscape portrait.
Thur 17 Oct 2024 / 8 pm / Blue Hall John Luther Adams Become Ocean more info and tickets
Sat 19 Oct 2024 / 9 pm / Blue Hall John Luther Adams Become River Become Desert more info and tickets