"Become Ocean" Seattle Symphony

[tbn.al]

Just listened to this piece on the way home from orchestra rehearsal. Chris, if you are listening I would certainly like to hear your take. It sounded like there was only a single chord throughout the 40 or so minutes. I believe I heard the bass trombone play a series of sustained E's for about 15 of those minutes. Not sure what to think of this piece. However it is reported to have gotten a Grammy this year.

[bort]

I just listened to it, and realized pretty quickly "oh, it's one of those songs."

Nothing against those songs, but:
-- I've never had to perform it
-- Definitely never had to rehearse it
-- Have never paid money to see it
-- Have to be in the right mood to want to listen to it

Frankly, this piece, when I listened to it, seemed like something I would hear in the background while David Attenborough is narrating. I didn't mind it. I'm not sure what pieces it beat to win a Grammy, and I'm equally not sure if I want to hear those. I can think of worse ways to spend 45 minutes though.

Sidebar: This also reminds me of Jóhann Jóhannsson, who I had first encountered about 10 years ago when I heard his "Virðulegu Forsetar" on the radio one evening. Another hour-long piece (with a little more going on), but largely just one long and slow one of "those pieces." I guess it caught me at the right time, because I vividly remember cruising around in my car listening to it until it was over, so I could find out what it was. I had forgotten about Jóhannsson until recently, because 1) he won a Golden Globe and was on TV, and 2) he's Icelandic, and when I went to Iceland last year, I unknowingly visited the church where "Forsetar" was recorded (my wife thought I was crazy).

Anyway, very long reply to say that I thought "Become Ocean" was alright, but not really my thing. Many long-dead composers we know and love now were met with lukewarm receptions in their day, so I think I need to give at least *some* of this modern stuff a try.

[tbn.al]

My feelings are more in line with the Seattle review than the New York which I capsulize here. I found it pleasant, but only barely.

Quote - The initial review, in The Seattle Times, was lukewarm. The reviewer found it "pleasant" but "after the first 20 minutes or so, the musical ideas had pretty much run their course, and there were no further developments to justify sustaining the piece." By contrast, Alex Ross, writing in The New Yorker and on his blog, gave a glowing review, saying he "went away reeling", and "it may be the loveliest apocalypse in musical history." He compared it with The Rite of Spring, then just 100 years old, in its newness of voice and its ability to provide new shocks for a new century.

The composer adds this in the program notes, "Life on this earth first emerged from the sea. As the polar ice melts and sea level rises, we humans find ourselves facing the prospect that once again we may quite literally become ocean." I repeat the composers description without comment because I am concerned that this thread may turn "political".

I can only wonder what it would be like to play such a piece. I have to wonder if the players were simply bored out of their minds and what devices did they use to keep from going ot sleep. I haven't seen the score but I believe I heard maybe a hundred or more repeated whole note E's in the bass trombone part. Hard to listen to much less play.

[BVD Press]

I didn't get it. Sounds liking a rumbling of piano strings for a long time. I listened for 7 minutes, then clicked a few other places and didn't find it of any interest to me. More power to you if you liked it, but not my cup of tea or coffee.