DESCRIPTION:
9 July 2012 - Thailand International Composition Festival, Mahidol University College of Music (Bangkok, Thailand), Siam Saxophone Quartet and Shyen Lee

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Thanks to the efforts of NASA, the NSF, UC Santa Cruz and the Carnegie Institute of Washington, the W.M. Keck Observatory (Hawaii) recently discovered a "Super Earth," in the habitable zone of a nearby star system. The discovery of this planet, Gliese 581g, and others like it prompted me to think about the possibility of communication with extra-terrestrial intelligences. I was left to wonder, how would we even begin to communicate?

The composition Gliese 581g poses an interaction between two very different modes of linguistic expression. One of these is the one we know (represented by a simple, incessant motive -- E-A-R-T-H) and the other is, at this point at least, one that we can only imagine (represented by the alien, multiphonic sounds). The interaction of these two, very different worlds proved a satisfying inspiration for me as I elaborated the musical form of this work. Since music is, itself, a way of communicating something (this something being an object of much debate), I love that there is an added layer to this work. For I believe every musical work poses questions about what and how, precisely, music communicates.

This work was commissioned by and dedicated to my friend and colleague, Shyen Lee, and the Siam Saxophone Quartet. --JJO