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BF0B877C-8221-453F-9E18-AE3779B8AC9B
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Described by the composer as a "love song to the earth," Warshauer's symphony eloquently presents our planet as a living organism through natural sounds transformed into stirring musical phrases and vivid instrumental writing.
Instrumentation
3(all dPicc).2+EH.2.2: 4.3.3.1: Timp.Perc(2).Hp.Pno: Str
Commission
Jointly commissioned by the Dayton Philharmonic, South Carolina Philharmonic, and the Western Piedmont Orchestras.
Dedication
Program Notes
The trust and support of the commissioning orchestras enabled me to hold the vision of this work and bring it forth to performance. I am grateful for the nurturing and beautiful environment of The Hambidge Center in Rabun Gap, Georgia, where I began and continued this composition in fall, 2005, and spring, 2006. Thanks to the South Carolina Arts Commission for awarding me the Artist Fellowship in Music Composition in 2005-06 with unrestricted funds that helped support this project. My family, especially my husband Sam, continually provides the emotional constancy upon which I depend. Composer’s note: The title Living, Breathing Earth came to me in contemplating the image of the rainforests as lungs of the earth. I felt our planet, alive with all variety of creatures and plants living in symbiosis with each other, breathing in and out, and the planet as a whole, pulsing with breath. I also contemplated the earth rotating through space, a spinning orb of blue and green, at just the right distance from the sun to support life, and our protective blanket of air, the atmosphere of the earth, providing the medium for our breath. The rhythms and shadings of the earth were my inspiration. In summer, 2005, their calls to mate were exceptionally strong, with 20-30 second waves of overlapping sound energizing Carolina and Georgia nights and into the days. Their energy propels the first movement, Call of the Cicadas. The second movement, Tahuayo River at Night, gently recalls a nighttime canoe ride in the Peruvian rainforest, stars and fireflies sparkling reflections in the dark water. Wings in Flight, the third movement, delights in the playful dance of butterflies at river’s edge, sunlight shimmering on the water’s surface, and flocks of birds soaring above. As the daytime creatures settle down for the night, a transition inspired by a peaceful summer sunset leads without pause to the fourth movement, titles Living, Breathing Earth. Here, a constant pattern of five beats per measure portrays earth’s breath and her majestic rotation, slowly turning in a kaleidoscope of shifting colors, as the sounds of teeming life from earlier movements gradually return. We know life on earth is in danger, with many species sick and dying from our pollution, and the atmosphere losing its protective qualities. The very breath of the earth, the relationship between carbon dioxide and oxygen, is out of balance. Sometimes it takes a threat of loss for us to realize the blessings we have, and to act to preserve them. Just as when praying for the healing of a loved one we picture the person in perfect health, so in this symphony, I celebrate the earth in her radiant fullness. With gratitude for the miracle of life, and with prayer for the wisdom and will to heal our precious home planet, I dedicate this first symphony to the living, breathing earth and her Creator. Meira Warshauer 2007
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Inhouse Note
Corrected May 2010
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Premier Performance Memo
Recording Credits
Recorded by the Moravian Philharmonic/ Petr Vronsky, Navona Records NV5842.
Review
"Living, Breathing Earth" deserves to be heard many, many more times, not only for its message that life on earth is in danger, and that we must be good stewards of the environment, but because it is such beautiful music." --W. Gerald Cochran, Classical Voice of North Carolina "Last night I made the 3 hour trek from Canton to Dayton to hear Meira Warshauer's new symphony (see below) performed by the Dayton Philharmonic under Neal Gittleman, and I'm glad I did. It is a well crafted piece with imaginative orchestration." --Jesse Ayers, Composer I must second Jesse's rave review of Meira Warshauer's "Symphony #1: Living, Breathing Earth". It's a piece that all-y'all ought to get to know. It's not easy by any means, but conductors, do check it out to see if you think it would work for your orchestra... regardless of the difficulty, it's well worth the effort required. The audience response was, indeed, VERY warm and receptive. --Neal Gittleman, Conductor, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
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Title Movements
I. Call of the Cicadas II. Tahuayo River at Night III. Wings in Flight IV. Living, Breathing Earth
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