Stephen Savage
Visionary and sublime, the Become Trilogy are a testament to the brilliance and depth of JLA and his orchestral writing.
Favorite track: Become River.
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When asked about three of his signature orchestral works — the Grammy-winning Become Ocean, its sequel Become Desert, and the original source Become River (previously unreleased as an official recording until now) — composer John Luther Adams refers to them collectively as “a trilogy that I never set out to write.”
Become River, composed for chamber orchestra, was the first of the three, although it began while Adams was working on Become Ocean for the Seattle Symphony. “Steven Schick and I were having dinner together,” he recalls, “and I went on at length about the music I’d begun to imagine. ‘So you’re already composing a symphonic ocean,’ Steve said. ‘Maybe for a smaller orchestra you could go ahead and compose that river in delta.’ He had me, and I knew it. Within a week I’d begun work on Become River.”
Collected here for the first time, with newly remastered versions of Become Ocean and Become Desert by acclaimed engineer Nathaniel Reichman, The Become Trilogy pays tribute to a magical partnership between Adams, conductor Ludovic Morlot and the renowned Seattle Symphony. As a whole, the music speaks both to the meditative solace of solitude, and the universally shared experience of living, giving and interacting as a citizen of the world.
credits
released September 25, 2020
Remixed and remastered by Nathaniel Reichman in stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos.
(5.1 and Dolby Atmos mixes available in digital format only by request)
Become Ocean (CA21101) and Become Desert (CA21148) were each originally released as a 2-disc CD+DVD set, in stereo and 5.1, on Cantaloupe Music.
Executive producers: Michael Gordon, David Lang, Kenny Savelson and Julia Wolfe
Label manager: Bill Murphy
Sales & licensing: Adam Cuthbert
Label assistant: Cassie Wieland
Art direction and graphic design: Jim Fox
Photography: Andy Futreal (front), Pete Woodhead (JLA image, back), David Köster (Become River, Neon River Valley, from the Neon Country series), Sebastian Meckelmann (Become Ocean, front), Paul Chesley (Become Ocean, back), Stefan Kunze (Become Desert)
supported by 104 fans who also own “The Become Trilogy”
Anyone experiencing this live must've been the luckiest people on the planet that day. This is simply phenomenal. And hope to see more some day. Thanks Michael and COA for this crazy good production. DancingPlant
C. Diab describes “Exit Rumination” as “a sonic exorcism,” and its dark, swelling songs are equal parts catharsis and tension. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 26, 2018
supported by 98 fans who also own “The Become Trilogy”
I don't need every Kronos performance to be one that shakes me to my essence, but I do always want them to be interesting. Kronos has been my gateway to discovering a lot of composers I never knew of before, so this one is worth checking out. Richard Weems