CD Review: 'Ilimaq'

John Luther Adams, Ilimaq, G. Kotche, J. L. Adams (released on October 30, 2015) Cantaloupe CA-21112 | 48'

Charles T. Downey, Ilimaq, John Luther Adams, Cantaloupe
Washington Post, February 27

John Luther Adams composes in, for, and about environments. His pieces draw their cues from geologic forces, often tied to them in acoustic installations: the ebb and flow of tides, the shifting of tectonic plates. Washington’s Meridian Hill Park and other sites around the city hosted a performance of one of his outdoor pieces, “Sila: The Breath of the World,” last spring, but for the most part we have to listen to recordings to experience his music in these parts.

His latest new piece available on disc is “Ilimaq,” an Iñupiat word meaning spirit journey. According to an accompanying video, the piece was originally a site-specific installation piece, going back to the 1990s in Alaska... [Continue reading]

John Luther Adams, Ilimaq
Glenn Kotche (percussion) and John Luther Adams (electronics)