John Luther Adams: An Atlas of Deep Time (CD)

As Grammy-winning composer John Luther Adams puts it, his latest work "An Atlas of Deep Time" is '...grounded in my desire to hear the older, deeper resonances of the earth amidst the turbulence of human affairs'. Commissioned and recorded by the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Delta David Gier, the piece taps into an ancient sphere of sound that seems to hover imposingly but benevolently over our own existence - itself a blink in geologic time. 'You can sit with human history like a stone in your hand for a long time,' said the late author and nature poet Barry Lopez, a lifelong friend of Adams. The poet's words serve as a written invitation to get to know a work that beautifully captures the sense of majesty, mystery and vulnerability that we and nature carry within us. In an article for the New Yorker, journalist Alex Ross described the world premiere of "An Atlas of Deep Time" in 2022 as 'a harsher, denser, more unsettling score' than "Become Ocean", the Pulitzer Prize-winning work for which Adams is best known. Still, even in the bold hands of Gier and the SDSO, the "sonic immensity" of the performance offered 'the same uncanny pleasure of entering into something complete and grand. The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Delta David Gier, are known for engaging their community through classical music. Gier was recently honored with the Ditson Conductor's Award for his contributions to works by American composers.