John Luther Adams: Music in the Anthropocene

Today a growing number of geologists believe we have left the Holocene and entered a new period — the Anthropocene — in which the dominant geologic force is humanity itself. What does this mean for music? What does it mean for a composer, or for any creative artist working in any medium today? Can music be engaged with current events and at the same time detached from them? Can music resonate with world around us, and yet still create a world of its own? Listen to a short passage of music, and hear John Luther Adams’ presentation (starting at roughly 3:30). With footage from: Strange and Sacred Noises – filmed by Leonard Kamerling Inuksuit – Doug Perkins, director; Tom Steenland, producer Sila: The Breath of the World – Doug Perkins, music production; filmed by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Excerpts from Become Ocean: Performed by Music Director Ludovic Morlot and the Seattle Symphony Recorded on Cantaloupe Music John Luther Adams’s residency at The B