Open Polar Sea

The myth of the Open Polar Sea was a theory that was floated and romanticized by theorists and explorers dating from the 16th until the late 19th century. It was thought that the north pole may be surrounded by a sea rather than thick ice and so would allow a navigable route and sea passage. This long fanciful idea of an Open Polar Sea and free sailing between Europe and the Pacific is now becoming a potential reality with Arctic ice shrinkage due to climate change. We set ourselves as a species and our myths adrift when we venture into the Open Polar Sea and uncharted waters.This collection of pieces uses sculptural approaches to the sound of the solo violin as a starting point; be it through abstract improvisation, the intangible nuances and shapes of Feldman, the raw timbre and techniques of Sciarrino and Fuhler, the blending of electronics with solo violin in Damian Barbeler’s Confession series, or the use of Daniel Blinkhorn’s arctic ice and water field recordings that inspired Anna’s violin improvisations and their resulting transformation.Published on the Unsounds labelOPEN POLAR SEAAnna McMichael: solo violinMcMichael/Fuhler - Open Polar Sea (3:30)Damian Barbeler - Confession 1 (2:42)Morton Feldman – Composition (1984) (10:23)Damian Barbeler - Confession 3 (2:22)Salvatore Sciarrino - Sei Capricci No.1 Vivace (1:48)Salvatore Sciarrino- Sei Capricci: No.3 Assai agitato (1:31)Damian Barbeler - Confession 2 (5:54)Salvatore Sciarrino - Sei Capricci: No.4 Volubile (4:08)Daniel Blinkhorn - frostbYte – drift (6:53)Cor Fuhler – Dozijn (3:30)Damian Barbeler - Confession 7 (2:35)Anna McMichael - Adrift (3:35)https://unsounds.com/shop/open-polar-seahttps://unsounds.bandcamp.com/album/open-polar-sea