No Exit and cimbalomist extraordinaire Chester Englander give the world premier of ECSTATIC WAVES.

As with all of my recent music I find myself returning to the natural world of earth, sky and ocean for inspiration. Especially in these troubled days of radical climate emergency, the world feels even more fragile and perhaps hurting with each passing year as we record ever more extreme environmental change and resultant devastation of human and animal environments and ecosystems.

Ecstatic Waves pays homage to the natural power and beauty of the sea. The first movement, Searise Breaking, is formed in three rather large ‘waves’ each culminating in a quiet and spare ‘exhalation’ stated in the cimbalom.

The second movement Enfoamed Rock takes its departure point from the crashing of waves on rock and the unrelenting energy this can have at certain rugged coastlines around the world. This movement seeks to capture the unrelenting energy and surging, hypnotic force of the sea as it hits and is exploded into mist by rock. It is formed in seven sections which freely restate and mix materials unfolded in the opening measures of the movement.

The third movement Unreturning Tides is a kind of elegy for our earth and the grave difficulties and savagely compromised ecosystems humanity has brought to our natural world. As with all of my recent music, this work also acts as metaphor for the internal life of each of us. Just as our world undergoes radical climate change and even emergency, so too life can bring change and emergencies to our hearts and souls. This last movement therefore is also a kind of statement on our hearts after enduring radical, emergency wrought change.

I am profoundly grateful to know cimbalom artist Chester Englander, with whom I have collaborated before on my second cello concerto Black City. He, and the tremendous musicians of No Exit ensemble have my thanks for this wonderful opportunity to write for them.