Sample of commissioned work, Sounding The Ice Factory, from the European Marine Board.

“The second largest Antarctic ice shelf by volume, Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, is at the centre of an interplay crucial for the world’s climate. Here in the southern Weddell Sea, the wild cold winds from the continent persistently push sea ice away from the ice-shelf edge. The newly opened water surfaces, polynyas, cool rapidly and freeze, maintaining the ice factory. 
The sea salt is left out of the icy crystals in the ocean, making it denser. The water formed here is among the densest on Earth. It fuels global ocean circulation. It also carries heat below the ice shelf and melts it.
 We can represent and dive into the peculiarities of this system using a sea ice-ice shelf-ocean model. By giving a unique voice to each model element, Micheal has created music that helps grasp these marvellous dynamics more intuitively. 
 The southern Weddell Sea system is not immune to human-caused climate change. If we keep warming the climate, the ice factories will dampen, and the ice shelf melt will eventually increase drastically with catastrophic consequences for the sea-level rise. I believe this music has the power to engage reason and emotion on the way to a better future. At the time of this writing, we can still make a difference. ”
Lukrecia Štulić, Alfred Wegener Institut, Germany

Polynya

For each of the live shows on our five-date tour of Italy in October/November 2018, we adapted the performance to each of the very different venues. As well as the acoustic properties of the space and the PA system, we incorporated something of each venue's character, and at Mikasa, it was the creaky stage, which opens and closes this recording.

Thanks to everyone who made this possible: Daimon (Simon Balestrazzi, Paolo Monti, Nicola Quiriconi), who organised and managed the tour, as well as performing their own fine shows, and to Antonio Altini at Mikasa for the attention to detail.

Live at Mikasa, Bologna, 3 November 2018

Five minute excerpt of The Alchemists by Black Glass Ensemble
The work was premiered at The Queen's Hall Edinburgh on February 13th 2020 and was broadcast the same evening on BBC Radio 3 Unclassified.

Michael Begg: scores, data, keys, electronic erosions, shells, e-bow autoharp
Ben Ponton: field recordings, electronic forensics, pebbles, lap steel guitar
Aisling O’Dea: violin
Julia Lungu: violin
Clea Friend: cello, voice
Neil Cuthbertson: trumpet
Jen Cuthbertson: French horn
Douglas Caskie: tuned and bespoke percussion

The Alchemists. BBC R3 edit

Michael Begg is a sound artist, composer and musician based in East Lothian, Scotland.

https://linktr.ee/michaelbegg

Polynya

Michael Begg

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