In Arctic Dreams, all string sounds are produced by natural harmonics or open strings, a technique also used in several of John Luther Adams's later string quartets.
Composer's Artistic Vision
John Luther Adams's Arctic Dreams was the first music he composed in his 'aeolian' sound world, inspired by listening to wind harps on the tundra.
Compositional Technique
Digital delays create a virtual choir and string orchestra in Arctic Dreams, using 32-part canonic textures with delay times ranging from 1.125 to 32 seconds.
Composition History
Arctic Dreams is dedicated to the memory of Barry Lopez, a dear friend of the composer, and is titled after one of his books.
Compositional Technique
The sung text in Arctic Dreams, called 'Arctic Litanies,' uses names of Arctic places, plants, birds, weather, and seasons in the languages of the Iñupiat and Gwich'in peoples of Alaska.
Compositional Technique
The harmonies in Arctic Dreams are derived from the first seven odd-numbered harmonics above the low D of the double bass, and extensive retuning of strings is used.
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