REQUIM FOR A GLACIER CD

Track Listing:

1. Introit

2. Gradual

3. Sequence

4. Tract

5. In Paradisum

REQUIEM FOR A GLACIER was composed by Paul Walde as a site-specific sound performance realized at the Farnham Glacier near Invermere, BC. on July 27, 2013.

The musical themes in REQUIEM FOR A GLACIER are derived from several sources. The main theme for Introit and Gradual, are drawn from the letters J U M B O, which is both the name of the resort development company, as well as the non-native name for the glacial range known as Qat’muk to the Ktunaxa First Nation. Sequence, is based on average temperature readings from the glacial area from 1969 to 2010. Each note represents one year and the pitch is determined by the temperature. Tract, refers to climate change resulting from man-made sources. This is represented by the 60 cycle hum which drones throughout the movement, referencing the electrical power grid. Carbon emissions, or CO2, are described by the use of the note C coupled with two upper As. These build in intensity and frequency throughout the movement, just as these emissions accumulate in our atmosphere. The libretto is a Latin translation of the BC Government’s press release announcing their approval of the Jumbo Glacier Resort in March 2012. Additional text is derived from the traditional requiem mass. For In Paradisum, field recordings of the melting glacier were fed into grand piano strings creating pitched resonant frequencies, the resulting melody was created by live mixing in the studio and combining this with the original unprocessed field recording.