Terra Coda
“Terra coda is a love letter to the earth, a cry to the mother who bore all life on this planet,an apology for the destruction of what we call home.
Born out of a deep connection and yearning for nature, and a reaction to the climate crisis. in these times of division and fear i find peace in wilderness, i find calm in the hinterlands and strength in the oceans.
to navigate through my surges of darkness. to communicate this emergence of feelings with music is all i have.
this is my dream. my rapture in blue.. my desperation to hold on, and to let go. .”
Terra Coda is a five movement Symphonic work inspired by the natural world and framed by the Taoist five elements, Wood, fire, earth, Metal, Water. Each element has virtues attributed to nature, cycles of time, human emotions.
The inspiration for the individual movements of Terra coda correlates to the emotional characteristics of each element.
WOOD: vision, identity, rebel, anger, frustration, growth, child
FIRE: love, passion, sadness, joy, confusion, connection, youth
EARTH: maturity, integrity, transformation, empathy, self
METAL: grief, justice, lawlessness, let go, descent, father
WATER: death, rebirth, wisdom, fear, stillness, calm, mother
Terra Coda explores hope and connection through the lens of the climate crisis and grief. and is a journey of transformation.
The first performances of terra coda In May 2022 as part of Mayfest arts festival was a 3 night Residency @ the stunning Mount With Out venue in Bristol.
Benji began curating The Terra Collective Orchestra via the Arts Council England (ACE). Drawing on local talent in the Bristol music scene, he enlisted the expertise of orchestra manager Anneka Sutcliffe and renowned theatre producers Impossible-Producing, to secure a substantial ACE grant to bring the project to fruition.
The Premier marked the first outings for a radical new orchestra collective – The Terra Collective Orchestra - a newly curated Bristol-based collaborative large-scale ensemble rooted in inclusion, innovation, connection and provocation.