Instrumentation: SATB Chorus, Children’s Choir, Orchestra & Prerecorded sounds

Commissioned by Crouch End Festival Chorus

Text: Cassie To, Cherissma Blackman - Costello

Recorded sounds courtesy of Steve Simpson, Professor of Marine Biology & Global Change, University of Bristol

First performed at Alexandra Palace Theatre, London on 23 October 2022 by Crouch End Festival Chorus, conducted by David Temple

Duration: 28 minutes

There is no doubt that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef faces a dire situation. It is the world’s largest coral reef system, and home to an extraordinary wealth of diverse creatures that are under serious threat. There is now a great sense of urgency in stopping irreversible damage and preserving the future of this incredible World Heritage Site. We often hear about the detrimental effects of climate change, pollution, over-fishing and invading species. But what about the impact of human sounds?

Before meeting Professor Steve Simpson I was unaware of how much our marine life depends on communication through sound, and to what extent human noise can disturb this. Through David Temple and Crouch End Festival Chorus, I was given the opportunity to compose Songs of the Reef which aims not only to share the beauty and wonder of the Great Barrier Reef, but also to highlight the devastating consequences of human noise on the Reef and the creatures that inhabit it.

The opening of the work features recordings of healthy reefs, happily buzzing away as the choir and orchestra enter in gentle, ethereal layers. These layers gradually build to a joyous celebration of Bhiral, the creator of the Great Barrier Reef according to the creation story of the Yidinji people, shared by author Cherissma Blackman-Costelloe. The Great Barrier Reef is an ingrained part of their identity – and so it is the voices of those closest to the Reef that set the scene.

From this jubilant opening, we zoom in on the individual creatures that make up the symphony of the sea. The choir and orchestra mimic their sounds, portraying the vibrant, colourful and noisy worlds that exist below the surface.

In celebration of the diverse inhabitants of the Reef, we have a special moment for the largest creature of all – the whale. Whales play an important role not only in the ecosystems of the Reef but within indigenous culture as the Great Elders of the Sea. Cherissma’s jubilant poem ’Yailem-Burra Yawai’ marks the majesty of the whales’ arrival and their significance within the sea.

From this point the piece takes a turn, as the plight of the Great Barrier Reef comes into focus. Eerie recordings from unhealthy reefs are heard in stark contrast to the animated and buzzing sounds of the opening. Harmful human noises are also introduced as the orchestra begins to mimic pile driving, seismic thumping, and passing ships. These sounds build as the music becomes more aggressive and erratic. The horns become deafening as they imitate the destructive crescendo of passing ships, leading to a climax of dissonant noise. What’s left is a desolate and frighteningly quiet Reef.

But there is hope as small pockets of beauty still manage to exist amongst the barren soundscape. The question is asked, ‘Is there time for the Reef?’ as the music begins to shift with a tentative hopefulness that we may still have a chance to preserve what is there and coexist in peace. Gradually the colours of the Reef – reflected by the orchestra, choir and audio recordings – return, as we build to a moment of pause and reflection on how we value our natural world.

Out of this moment, some of the Reef’s most beautiful sounds begin to emerge: the whale songs, which herald the start of the finale. The structure of this final movement is inspired by the way whales communicate: through call and response, in which their songs become more complicated the closer they get to each other. So the choir begins a simple motif that is taken on by the orchestra. As it develops, motifs from previous sections are re-introduced and the music builds to an intricate climax – setting off a positive spirit of hope. It is the children – the next generation – who echo this in the final bars.

Songs of the Reef takes the listener beneath the waves and into the wonderous yet fragile world of the Great Barrier Reef. Although the impact of the noise generated by humans is alarming, it is the easiest pollutant to manage – there are ways for us to reduce it and coexist with the Reef. It is all too easy to get so caught up in the constant bad news that we lose hope, and we lose impetus. We switch off. So it is my wish that Songs of the Reef gives you a sense that all is not lost – that although the urgency is real, we can change our ways to help restore the Reef and the symphony within it.