SAN DIEGO — Groundbreaking composer Lei Liang has never been to the Arctic or to its Chukchi Sea, which sits between Alaska and Siberia. But that imposing 240,000-square-mile body of water's beneath-the-surface sounds not only inspired his provocative new work, "Six Seasons," they are an intrinsic and very audible part of it.
"We recorded amazing marine animals: bearded seals, beluga whales and bowhead whales. I call them the 'Three B's,' in relation to Bach, Beethoven and Brahms!" said University of California San Diego professor Liang, the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition.
"And we recorded the sound of ice in various formations, and at different temperatures and conditions, along with calm seas, raging storms and everything in between. Then, we carefully and meticulously studied the data recorded in the Arctic Ocean and restored the sound to its pristine condition, so that we truly hear and appreciate the complexity and beauty of our own environment."
