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As part of the BBC Proms 2024, in collaboration with the UCL’s Biome Health Project, I was commissioned to write for the BBC Concert Orchestra, drawing inspiration from artist Luke Jerram’s ‘Gaia’ —a replica of our planet created using detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface.
I decided to take a more holistic view of our brief, “Gaia”. I wanted to portray Gaia as a beautiful planet with serene, bio-diverse climates, treating it as one vast, interconnected musical entity. By adopting this zoomed-out perspective of Earth, I felt the piece needed to have its limitations, as I was focusing on the grandeur concepts surrounding the planet. The notion of a grand entity, like our planet, that evolves and changes in ways that are often unnoticeable, resonates deeply with me as a composer.
With this piece, I delved into the concept of shifting in and out of focus, gradually unfolding the limited musical material to create an atmospheric narrative. The aim was to evoke a sense of tranquility mixed with unease, crafting a soundscape that is repressed, momentous, and blurred. Through this approach, I hoped to capture the essence of Gaia’s serene yet ever-changing nature.
