Musical response to climate change

With the increasing buildup of greenhouse gases across the planet, we are threatened with a climate crisis whose long-term impact is greater than world wars, political unrest or the coronavirus pandemic.

To bring further awareness to this danger that—in the end—will impact all citizens of this earth, I have composed “Three Prayers for a Feverish Planet” for solo piano which focuses on three areas of climate change.

The first movement (“…fire…”) is a reflection on the forest fi res raging across California and the American West on a recurring, and increasingly alarming basis. The work starts with a “spark,” that flickers and quickly spreads, growing more complicated. The fire begins to rage loudly, and across register, building to a climax which eventually becomes more controlled, as it burns itself out and dies.

The second movement (“…glaciers…”) is a distant, stately movement that depicts the enormous ices on earth’s poles. These slow, ponderous moments are sporadically interrupted by rapidly falling, thundering episodes, depicting the shearing of the glacial ice with ever-warming temperatures.

Concluding the set is the third movement (“…winds…”). This virtuosic finale begins with running winds that become increasingly intense and hurricane/typhoon-like in their destructiveness before dissipating into a barely-noticeable breeze.

It is my hope that this work will play a role in continuing to bring further awareness and dialog around climate change, and our need to act quickly, be it through live performances, recordings or the dissemination across social media channels. With increased awareness we can collectively move to take action.