Dreamtime lies at the center of Australian aboriginal culture. A mythology dating back 60,000 years, it is a collection of stories involving the creation of the universe, the origin of life, and humanity’s role in the world. The stories are passed from one generation to another through music, art, and ceremony.
It was a work of art—an aboriginal painting titled Water Dreaming from the desert region of Papunya in Western Australia—that formed the inspiration for I Hear the Water Dreaming, a concertante for flute and orchestra by Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu (1930-1996). Completed in 1987, the work was premiered the same year by flutist Paula Robison and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, led by John Nelson.
A principal theme, played by the solo flute, represents the painting’s “aquatic icon,’ and evokes the fluidity of water. According to the composer, “the entire work is composed of numerous melodic subspecies and colorful embellishments derived from this theme.” Inhabiting the hazy impressionistic harmonic world of Claude Debussy, the music unfolds as a series of dreamlike episodes. It is time-altering and ephemeral. Filled with shimmering orchestral colors, I Hear the Water Dreaming floats through a vast, eternal sea where only the present moment is important.
Recordings
- Takemitsu: I Hear the Water Dreaming, Hiroshi Koizumi, Ryusuke Numajiri, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra Amazon
Featured Image: “Water Dreaming,” Selina Numina