Robert Scott Thompson

Solo Cello

Composer's Note:

"Earth's biodiversity is a dilemma wrapped in a paradox. The paradox is that the more species humanity extinguishes, the more new species scientists discover. Like the conquistadors who melted the Inca gold, they recognise that the great treasure must come to an end"”and soon. That understanding creates the dilemma: will we stop the destruction for the sake of future generations, or go on changing the planet to our immediate needs? If the latter, planet Earth will enter a new era of its history, cheerfully called by some the Anthropocene, a time for and all about our one species alone. I prefer to call it the Eremocene, the Age of Loneliness." (Edward O. Wilson)

This composition for solo 'cello is derived from the larger chamber work, Seul dans un jardin de roses blanches, J'entends une mosaïque d'oiseaux - Homage to Boulez. Compositional stochastics, applied to the 12-tone matrix, are used the creation of the work, and sound and silence are utilized in equal measure. Alluding to the deafening silence of the possible Eremocene, the music unfolds in muted tones and colors, balanced softly on the edge of audibility.