photo courtesy of Lisa Tolentino
Tundra is the final installment of the trio of performances known as, "Desert, Forest, Tundra." This performance was captured by documenteur Len Kamerling. On June 25 ending sometime on June 26 the cast and crew performed/filmed a performance of John Luther Adams' "Strange and Sacred Noise."
The performers consisted of Morris Palter, Doug Perkins, Steven Schick, Lisa Tolentino and myself. I owe a debt of gratitude to these individuals for their effort and commitment to this project.
The entire event took place somewhere on the Denali plain in the desolate tundra of central Alaska. We drove from Fairbanks in the morning and began unload, using ATVs, around 4pm. By 8pm that evening, we decided to begin filming (remember the sun does not set up there.) Normally, the weather in this region is rainy during the summer with occasional pockets of sunshine. For some reason, as was the case with Desert and Forest, the weather cleared just as we arrived. It was nothing short of a divine miracle.
During the night (when the sun went just below the mountains you see above) the temperature dipped to a cool 26 degrees F. It was a mixed blessing because when the sun is up large ravenous mosquitoes bite your most exposed parts. While filming I was bitten so many times I felt feverish. My back hurt so much from being on my feet for so long I could barely stand. Many others on the crew and the cast felt the same way. It was the most physically demanding performance of my life.
Overall the entire epic lasted until around 8am the next day. We dismantled and covered our instruments and headed toward the lodge, the only establishment for about an hour in any direction, at least. Eggs and bacon never tasted so good. We slept like bears in winter. My wife and I slept in a van down by the river. Eric Schultz, our sound engineer and a talented composer in his own right, was almost fatally attacked by a female moose while riding the ATV back to the lodge. He was saved by a gorgeous white Buick Skylark bounding over the hill.
These are only a few of the stories about this experience. It is hard to summarize with words, or even pictures. Look for Len's documentary in the coming year or so, perhaps two years.
From left: Peter Biella, Eric Schultz, John Luther Adams, Steven Schick, Robert Esler, Lisa Tolentino, Doug Perkins, Morris Palter, Len Kamerling.
The south face of the site, location for the first and last movements of "Noise."