Terraforming is the concept of modifying a planet or moon’s atmosphere, topography, and temperature in order to create a biosphere similar to that of Earth and thus make it habitable by humans. The idea is rooted more in science fiction than actual science, and was first coined by the sci-fi author Jack Williamson in his story Collision Orbit, published in 1942. Since then, terraforming has become a popular idea sensationalized in films, astronomical journals, and the media.
My work Terraforming applies this concept to an orchestral sound world. The first movement, Tecton, is representative of the first step of the terraforming process, namely the reshaping of the world’s topography. Erosia, the second movement, deals with interjecting a new atmosphere into this reshaped sphere that erodes and softens its harsh features. Intrusion, named after the geological process whereby molten rock is forced into existing rock formations, features a simple harmonic process that represents the final geomorphic changes to the new biosphere. The last movement, Consolidation, synthesizes the disparate elements of the previous three pieces into the final product of the terraforming process, a chaotic but lush new sound world.