Skip to main content

John Luther Adams - Become Ocean

    The composition “Become Ocean” by John Luther Adams was published in 2014. The composition shows a strong resemblance to the ocean itself on an aural and visual level. The listener could interpret the certain sounds and movements of the orchestra as waves and their intensity. 
    The composition starts with sounds that cause a rather dystopian ambience due to the use of low, bass-heavy sounds which could resemble uncalm waves. Using rather high-pitch sounds, the image of an ocean in the process of calming down comes in mind for the listener. A constant switch between phases of peace and chaos is noticeable, caused by the use of certain sounds. This has a calming, yet dramatic effect for me in the position as a listener since the composition contains a steady switch between the phases, but also has subtle differences after each period of ocean phases. 
    A dramatic entry of cymbal-like sounds can evoke the image of a major change that is happening in the ocean, such as an increase in sea level as a consequence of climate change. Even though the composition returns to its’ normal phases, the image of a steady flow of waves changes due to the increase of speed by the harp player. After the dramatic entry, the listener is also able to see the waves through the arm movements by the orchestra. Another effect of the dramatic entry seems to be an increase of intensity of the ocean phases. The listener can interpret the higher intensity of sea phases through a longer play-time of each phase.
    The composition takes a rather dark turn through a heavier use of lower bass instruments and sounds. Due to the knowledge about the composition being a message about the environment and a call for action against the rise of sea levels, I as a listener got reminded of the message through a dystopian future filled with death because of climate change and a heavy rise in sea levels. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Listening Report on John Oswald: Plexure

 Sarah Kumar Dr. Bernd Herzogenrath The Future of (American) Music 06 Mar. 2023 Listening Report on John Oswald: Plexure According to John Oswald, “[a] plunderphone is a recognizable sonic quote, using the actual sound of something familiar which has already been recorded” (Lecture Slides 18). However, only if the source stays recognizable can it be called plunderphonics. In his album Plexure , several songs are played back and mixed together, thus creating a new sound. This is interesting because while the excerpts of songs that are used are recognizable or at least sound familiar to some degree, played backwards and mashed up as they are in Plexure , they create a new sound. Like on the cover of the album, on which a collage making up a man can be seen, the mixing of different songs played backwards gives a new feeling to something known. The way the songs are mixed makes them unintelligible. The meaning of the words of the original recordings are not able to be compr...
Post a Comment
Read more

John Cage – Inlets

  This does not sound like music to me. Depending on the interpretation of different players or performers, this piece will always sound different. In this case, it sounds to me like someone is walking through a cave with water at the bottom, dragging their feet through it. Sometimes it sounds like water in a toilet bowl, especially when we hear the water in a bigger shell being swished around. These sounds are relaxing in the background, it is like a gentle stream of water. I just wonder what went through the head of the composer while writing this piece. But I guess he had some experimental ideas that are interesting to try out. Those shells are quite pretty, I have never seen such big ones that are not broken. I was surprised when something else happened towards the end of the piece. That tone which came out of the one shell was so clear, it sounded like a trumpet. I didn’t know that shells can sound like that. It was quite beautiful. It was a nice way to end the piece. I di...
Post a Comment
Read more

William Basinski – The Disintegration Loops III

  The Disintegration Loops is a quartet of albums published in 2002 and 2003 by American avant-garde composer William Basinski. The pieces are made up of tape loop recordings that were played over time, with noise and crackles rising as the tape deteriorated. Basinski noticed this effect when attempting to convert his older recordings to digital format. The completion of the recordings coincided with the September 11, 2001 events, which Basinski witnessed and adds a deeper meaning to the composition. The composition is fascinating in many ways and makes the listener lose track of time. The tape loop recording had a very calming effect on me and put me in a trance-like state when I listened to it in its entirety. The tape loop is really soothing, so much so that I didn't even notice the loss of quality when I first listened to it. It makes you forget about time and allows you to really get into the piece capturing the calmness it exudes. You forget or don't really notice how i...
Post a Comment
Read more