Plastic Birds

large ensemble

Jul 1

A recent article and accompanying video from ABC News Australia illuminates a gruesome, tragic effect of humanity’s disregard for the climate, showing the extent of devastation has reached the stomachs of seabirds on a remote, pristine Australian island. Scientists have discovered that these birds have consumed so much plastic that pressing on their stomachs makes a gut-wrenching crunching sound, even in still-living birds in the most severe cases.

The simple “bird call” and clean, consonant harmonies in this piece die out as an increasingly noisy, industrial, artificial sound world subsumes them.

Purchase Score

Instrumentation

0.1.1.1/1.0.0.0/1perc/pno/str(1.1.1.1.1)

Percussion: Bowed Crotales, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Vibraphone

Duration

c. 4.5 min.