Clima(c)tic Consensus
for flute and guitar

Kangyi Zhang 2021
Demo using Cakewalk.
Photography: Ding Ding

According to the 2021 UN World Meteorological Organization Report, climate disasters killed 115 people and caused US$ 202 million in losses daily over the past 50 years. Each decade from the 1980s has been warmer than all the decades that came before, and 2019 concludes the warmest decade in records since the mid-19th century. The number of billion-dollar climate catastrophes has increased from 29 events in 1980s to 119 in 2010s.

During the conception and composition of this work, news headlines were reporting on wildfires in Australia, the Amazon and the US west coast. Severe fires also hit Greece, Turkey, Spain and Siberia, while once-in-a-century flooding wreaked havoc in Europe and Asia. Further delay in mitigating climate change will lead to greater deaths, property destruction, and dire economic impact.

Motifs in this first movement are derived from Spanish Vaqueirada folk tunes. The beginning speaks of calm before imminent storm. Beneath the beautiful flute melody is an uncertain changing tonality. Next, fast tempo dominates with an almost perpetual motion to depict the calamities of floods and wildfires. The music progresses eventually to a climax where the Vaqueirada melodic theme is finally presented in a grandiose fashion. The climactic percussive ending represents a sudden plunge into an apocalyptic world.

Clima(c)tic Consensus for flute & guitar

Kangyi has performed on various stages in Singapore, Malaysia and the United States. As a composer, his music are often programmatic and based on personal life and experiences. He also aims to raise public awareness on important historical events. 

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