An Auditory Survey of the Last Days of the Holocene

Featuring

Edana Higham
Zac Pulak
SHHH!! Ensemble
Frank Horvat

Did you know?

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Compositional Technique

The work uses over 150 different audio samples indicative of the climate crisis, which the musical score augments and interacts with.

Composer Biography

Frank Horvat, the composer, is described as 'one of the most inventive songwriters to come out of the contemporary scene in Canada' and explores themes like the environment, mental health, and social justice in his music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Frank Horvat, the composer, conceived this work as a historical record of humanity's potential evolution from destructive actions to choices that could lead to a sustainable future.

Interpretation

The performers, SHHH!! Ensemble, lived with the music for six weeks during rehearsals, carefully assembling the complex score and discovering new layers daily.

Album & Artwork

The album is structured into four parts: Causes, Symptoms, Solutions, and The Outcome, which are further subdivided into twenty-four tracks.

Recording & Production

The sound design for the album involved composer Frank Horvat devoting hours to deep listening, sourcing, cataloguing, and artistically interpolating sounds of ecological devastation.

Performer Biography

SHHH!! Ensemble, the performing duo of percussionist Zac Pulak and pianist Edana Higham, was formed in 2017 and is known for its 'avant-accessible' style of new music.