John Luther Adams: Become Desert

Expanding on the multi-award-winning Become Ocean, John Luther Adams's Become Desert is another collaboration with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and conductor Ludovic Morlot. Written for a large orchestra and choir divided into five spatially separated ensembles, Become Desert attempts to convey a sense of 'swimming in light' in the vast expanse of the desert.

Featuring

Ludovic Morlot
Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony Chorale
John Luther Adams

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Recording & Production

This recording of Become Desert was made on September 25 and 26, 2018, in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium in Benaroya Hall, Seattle, WA.

Composer's Artistic Vision

John Luther Adams, the composer, is drawn to the desert because, like the tundra, it is a place with few people, which he perceives as a place of presence rather than absence.

Notable Performances

The Seattle Symphony premiered John Luther Adams's Become Desert on March 29 and 31, 2018, in Benaroya Hall.

Historical Context

Composer John Luther Adams connects his work Become Desert to the accelerating effects of anthropogenic climate change, having experienced it firsthand in Alaska and now observing desertification.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Become Desert by John Luther Adams is intended as both a celebration of natural deserts and a lamentation for deserts created by human activity.

Composition History

Become Desert was co-commissioned by the Seattle Symphony, led by Music Director Ludovic Morlot, and the New York Philharmonic, with additional co-commissions from the San Diego Symphony and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer John Luther Adams hopes that his music, Become Desert, becomes a 'private desert' for each listener, extending beyond the place it was composed.