From April 30-May 2, Gustavo Dudamel leads the New York Philharmonic and Chorus in three performances of Earth Between Oceans, a major new work from composer Ellen Reid. Commissioned by the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics to celebrate Dudamel’s changing of the guard, the piece premiered in Los Angeles last year to critical acclaim.
“Nothing sounds like you might expect in Reid’s massive orchestral soundscape capable of holding a listener in tight grip for 30 minutes.” - Mark Swed, LA Times
“Intensely atmospheric, the unpredictable 30-minute work for orchestra and choir feels interdimensional, as if the composer hails from a different galaxy. The music envelops listeners in a primal, oceanic space. Vast forces are revealed. Textures hang in the air, as if collectively, the audience has discovered its latent synesthetic powers. In life, moments of awe are rare. Listening to Reid’s Earth Between Oceans is one of them.” - R. Daniel Foster, Forbes
“The music unfolded with inexorable pacing. Sometimes glacial in its heartbeat, other times igniting in obsessions of radiant energy, the music painted tectonic landscapes of sound. The audience’s long, enthusiastic standing ovation made it clear that Reid’s piece was nothing short of transcendent.” - Charles Burns, San Francisco Classical Voice
Earth Between Oceans explores the power of nature through the lens of the four elements: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. In writing this piece, Reid was inspired by the ways in which these natural forces are infinitely more powerful, more ancient, and more resilient than any rising political chaos. She found joy in exploring rhythm as a primary compositional element. In Earth, the meter accelerates through the movement, erupting in a guttural peak when the voices from the choir unite for the first time. In Air, a lack of consistent pulse creates a sense of endless space. In Fire, polyrhythms morph, cycle and grow, and in Water, the rhythm ebbs and flows like the currents of the ocean. Another seismic component to this piece is the large, wordless choir, conceived instrumentally and adding a dynamic timbre to the ensemble.
Earth Between Oceans celebrates the power of nature in conversation with the threats our environment faces. As a metaphor for the concurrent crises affecting our Earth, the composer captured field recordings while collecting plastic trash at beaches in Los Angeles (Venice, Santa Monica) and New York City (Rockaway Beach, Coney Island). These field recordings are woven throughout the work as connective tissue, a reminder that we live on a planet whose equilibrium is being challenged by our actions.
Finally, Earth Between Oceans is dedicated to Gustavo Dudamel, a bridge-builder who forges meaningful connections across communities of people from different backgrounds, cultures, ages, classes, and abilities. Reid notes that: "His [Dudamel's] fierce positivity and tremendous talents inspire us to think bigger and do better. Therefore, despite the growing political, environmental, and social challenges we face, I felt deeply committed to ending the work with a sense of optimism—even if it feels out of reach."
For more information please contact Robert Guthrie.
