Living Ice - 寒川

for chamber orchestra
ca. 8’30”

Living Ice – 寒川 (2019) is an orchestra piece inspired by the calving of glaciers, a phenomenon that is unfortunately becoming more and more of a common occurrence each passing year. The sight and sound of a massive wall of ice churning and crumbling is a majestic and deeply unsettling affair. The fact that such a colossal object, built through millions of years of accumulation and crystallization, can be destroyed within hours or even minutes is not only a stark reminder of the unpredictability and inevitability of nature and life, but also a warning of the horrors and devastation that climate change is bringing to the planet – horrors and devastation that we contribute to every day.

The piece starts with a calm, icy depiction of the arctic landscape, followed by chunks of ice breaking off and hurtling towards the sea. The violent climax of the piece illustrates the glacier as it calves, and the scene gradually becomes static again when only the sea remains.

This version for chamber orchestra is arranged for the 2019 Midwest Composers Symposium, but circumstances meant that it was unable to be performed at the time.

Performances: