“The loveliest apocalypse in musical history.” New Yorker

What a way to end the Festival. As the climax of this year’s exploration of music and nature we present John Luther Adams’ epic, Pulitzer Prize-winning Become Ocean, performed by BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
The piece is inspired by the Alaskan wilderness, with Luther Adams saying “Life on this earth first emerged from the sea. As the polar ice melts and sea level rises, we humans find ourselves facing the prospect that once again we may quite literally become ocean”.

Sound swirls between three groups of musicians positioned separately on stage, so Become Ocean is a piece you can only fully experience live.

Our closing concert also features the Welsh premiere of Huw Watkins’ only Symphony, a dramatic, punchy work premiered in 2017, and a festival commission by young Welsh composer David Roche.