A large glass floor that continually hovers over a mountain field is gently moved to one side, and out of the depths of the earth ascends a large, majestic bird that immediately commences on her journey towards the sea.

As the bird approaches her goal, she spots a giant water globule that slowly descends over the sea and is about to cover the entire horizon. Just before the globule touches the rippling waves, the bird plunges resolutely and at high speed directly into the globule so that water turns into rain that covers the entire sea. At the moment the bird penetrates the giant globule with her beak, time suddenly stops and she gets caught between air and water. Frozen in time, the bird is exposed to enigmatic wind music sounding from all directions.

She continues her dive through the surface, and further down to the depths. Magical forces enable her to fly along the seabed, where the contoured plains of sand and stone give the wings a fantastic span. She absorbs countless dimensions of nature’s own power, and eventually collapses on her back and can do nothing but drift away with the currents that exist only where the seabed speaks.

From this position, the bird perceives a magnificent ray of sun penetrating all the colours of the sea, and at the same time, “The Melody of Existence" is heard, surrounded by the inexhaustible silence of the abyss, in a symbiosis of water and light.

After a timespan that cannot be measured, the sunbeam pulls the bird slowly out of the water and sends her back to the mountain field. The bird sings from an infinite height a heartbreaking cry of life towards the sea that she can no longer view. Then the bird disappears under the glass floor, which at the same time nudges back into place.

According to Beppe, this composition is not about imitating sounds of nature, but rather; it tells a fictional story and is only meant to give the listener some clues about the composer's central idea. Like the symphonic poem «Heart» Op.27 No.5, tubular bells are central to this symphony, as they represent "The Melody of Existence", a recurring theme in the work.

Sheet music from this album:

«Symphony No.1 «Operientes Mare» Op.89

Booklet (PDF)

Release Article

Introduction by Flint Juventino Beppe

Sea Symphony from Saltdal | Interview with Rune Bergmann and FJB