TRY TO IMAGINE
A Tribute to "The Sea"
PROGRAM NOTES
Among its many distinctions, EPCOT Center’s oceanographic pavilion, The Living Seas was easily the most relaxing environment ever created for a theme park. From its minimalistic architecture to the subtle treatment of its subject matter, every aspect of the experience was crafted to evoke the timelessness and tranquility of the seas.
One of the most important facets of The Living Seas was its dreamlike soundscape. Categorically Ambient in nature, one could argue that The Living Seas was the public’s first exposure to the musical genre that would not come to mainstream fruition until nearly decade after the creation of Sea Base
Alpha.
Although Russell Brower, and Richard Bellis’ variation on George Wilkins main theme would dominate the pavilion’s atmosphere, the dramatic centerpiece and tone-setter of The Living Seas rests
within Patrick Gleason’s underscore for Paul Gerber’s seven-minute masterpiece “The Sea”. A film that treats its subject matter with an almost Val Lewton-style sensibility of somber suspense as it
depicts the development and dynamics of our oceans. Described in press releases as “otherworldly”, Gleason’s remarkably understated score for the film works on an almost entirely subconscious level
and continues to haunt the recollections of its viewers. If there were any complaint to be made with “The Sea” it would certainly be its abbreviated length.
TRY TO IMAGINE | A Tribute to “The Sea” is an experimental composition inspired by the film, expanded and reinterpreted in a style similar to the relaxation/meditation albums created in the
wake of the pavilion’s debut. This new arrangement is constructed using sounds and music designed to replicate the tonality, structure and tempo of the original 1986 presentation.
“The Sea”
Written by
Paul Gerber & Patrick Gleason
Performed by
Hope Alexander-Willis,
The San Francisco Boy’s Chorus &
Members of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus
MUSIC PROGRAM
