Hearing the Land

Do we perceive ourselves as guardians or owners of the natural world?

Australian premiere of Solace by the CSO Chamber Ensemble alongside works by Michael Sollis, Natalie Williams, and Eric Avery. Presented as part of the CSO’s 2022 Australian Series.

Solace asks the listener to meet the environment in a state of distress and destruction. The natural world was previously idealised as a place of sanctitude and peace, yet today, we experience a different reality. Solace considers the accelerated regenerative processes that follows extreme levels of fire and natural disaster. The material functions in orbits, presenting the multi-dimensional processes of regeneration that is one of both life and death, beginning and end. The first section details flames growing from ember to fire and the second, a slow process of ashfall.