The Migratory Patterns of Birds

Zach Thomas

74 views

Solo

2023

7 min.

Amplification

Fixed Media Audio

Piano

Preparations

Program Notes: The Migratory Patterns of Birds uses the flight paths of birds as a source material, attempting to provide a metaphor for the impacts of climate change on the migration of humans and nature. The work is directly inspired by the photographer Xavi Bou’s Ornitographies series, in which he superimposes multiple photographs of birds in flight into a singular image, articulating their shifting trajectories and contours as ribbons traced in the sky. In The Migratory Patterns of Birds, microphones are used to reorient the listening perspective and track the physical movement of sound across the instrument. The swarms, contours, and murmurations captured in these photographs are used as notational guides for the musical material. Instrumental sounds are combined with field recordings of natural and human environments, animals, and movement. The Migratory Patterns of Birds was commissioned by and composed for Jan Satler, as part of a project on the topic of migration supported by the Tokyo Foundation.
Recording Notes: performed by Jan Satler
Ensemble Name: Jan Satler