Sila: The Breath of the World

Featuring

Donald Nally
Doug Perkins
Christopher Otto
Austin Wulliman
John Pickford Richards
Jay Campbell

The Crossing
University of Michigan Chamber Ensemble
University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble
JACK Quartet
John Luther Adams

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

John Luther Adams's work, Sila: The Breath of the World, is inspired by the Inuit concept of Sila, which represents the spirit animating all things, including wind, weather, intelligence, and consciousness.

Notable Performances

The premiere performance of Sila: The Breath of the World took place at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City in July 2014.

Composition History

Sila: The Breath of the World was commissioned by several prominent organizations, including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Washington Performing Arts, Ojai Festival, Cal Performances, and the La Jolla Symphony.

Compositional Technique

Sila: The Breath of the World is scored for five ensembles—woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, and voices—which can perform in any combination, successively or simultaneously, and are dispersed to surround listeners.

Compositional Technique

The harmonies in Sila: The Breath of the World are based on the first sixteen harmonics of a low B-flat, with other tones falling 'between the cracks' of the piano keyboard, off the standard twelve-tone equal temperament.

Compositional Technique

Sila: The Breath of the World has no conductor; each musician is a soloist playing a unique part at their own pace, allowing the music to breathe with flexible event lengths.