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Ode to Thalassa can be broadly thought of as constructed in the following outline:
Prologue: primordial purity (beginning up to rehearsal F)—
Gradually building conflict (rehearsal F up to J)—
Period of collapse, pollution, and disintegration (J)—
Attempt to repair and undo the harm (K—M)—
Epilogue: hope for the future, combined with the realization that different outcomes are possible, depending on our actions (N—end)
Performance notes
Ode to Thalassa includes a semi-aleatory section (J), which represents the extreme disintegration of natural systems. Singers are asked to turn away from the audience, representing in this dramatic way the loss of connection between humans and nature. They are also asked to make a variety of non-singing, distorted noises to symbolize the sickness of marine ecosystems. Guitarists are asked to use the following commonly found plastic trash to distort the sound of their instruments in section J:
Guitars 1 and 2: plastic bags (the typical grocery store bags, which make a rustling or crinkling sound when crumpled);
Guitar 3: plastic bags (same as Guitar 1 and 2) and plastic straws or other long and thin plastic objects that can be inserted under the strings on the XII fret and/or used as a slide bar.
Guitar 4: any plastic cards that can be woven between the strings close to the bridge.
Guitarists should make no attempt to hide what they are doing, as both the “trashing” of their guitars in section J and the “clean-up” in section K are part of the performance.
I encourage all of the performers and conductors to be creative in their contributions to section J and throughout! Experiment with sounds, effects, and timings to discover which work best at conveying the message and creating the right atmosphere.
Approx. duration: 10 min