The viola d'amore, used for marine mammal sounds, is a resonant instrument with seven playable strings and an additional seven sympathetic strings, a rare feature in Western classical instruments.
Interpretation
The performer, Marco Fusi, associates different instruments with two main categories of sounds: the violin for inanimate sounds like ice and wind, and the viola d'amore for the voices of marine mammals.
Compositional Technique
The six seasons in the Arctic, according to the Inuit, are not fixed by a calendar but by environmental sounds, influencing the structure of the piece.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Composer Lei Liang aims to make "impossible things possible" by revealing a listening space previously unavailable to humans, engaging with unprecedented resources like underwater recordings.
Composition History
Lei Liang's "Six Seasons" was completed in 2022 and was originally conceived for any number of improvising musicians.
Recording & Production
The recording features live DSP (Digital Signal Processing) and spatialization by Charles Deluga and Lei Liang, enhancing the immersive experience of the Arctic soundscape.
Historical Context
The work is inspired by the Chukchi Sea, north of Alaska, one of the most inaccessible places on Earth, where hydrophones recorded sounds of sea ice and marine mammals.
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