Copyright

Philippe Tortell and Dorival Puccini, Jr.

Published On

2024-04-08

Page Range

pp. 145–148

Language

  • English

Print Length

4 pages

The Heavy Metal Suite

Chapter of: Heavy Metal: Earth’s Minerals and the Future of Sustainable Societies(pp. 145–148)
This reflection examines the intersection of art, mining and sustainability through the creation of the Heavy Metal Suite—a collaborative musical project exploring the future of minerals and mining. The music was composed by artists from across the globe, and premiered in a Vancouver performance by Axiom Brass on Earth Day (22 April) 2024. The Suite comprises eight compositions focused on the key resources of copper, lithium, zinc, gold, silver, platinum, water and silicon. Each movement explores the intrinsic chemical properties of these resources, and develops the themes of colonialism, capitalism and consumption relevant throughout this volume. All of the composers contributed a movement to the Suite, inspired by a resource with particularly relevance to their own country. Following a brief introduction to the conception and evolution of this project by Philippe Tortell and Dorival Puccini, Jr., the founder of Axiom Brass, the eight composers reflect in turn on their creative processes and the resultant musical works.

Contributors

Philippe D. Tortell

(author)
Professor of Oceanography at University of British Columbia
Head of the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science at University of British Columbia
Co-Lead Investigator of Future Minerals Initiative at University of British Columbia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0212-2151

Philippe Tortell is a Professor of Oceanography at UBC, Head of the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, and Co-Lead Investigator of UBC’s Future Minerals Initiative. He is a sea-going oceanographer, with more than two decades of experience documenting the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems around the world. He has been a member of the College of the Royal Society of Canada, a Von Humboldt Research Fellow and past Director of the UBC Institute for Advanced Studies. He has published more than one hundred research articles, and edited three previous books, including Reflections of Canada, Memory, and Earth 2020: An Insider’s Guide to a Rapidly Changing Planet.

Dorival Puccini, Jr.

(author)

Trumpeter Dorival Puccini, Jr. is an active soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, producer and educator. Founder of the award-winning Axiom Brass quintet, his interest in chamber music has led him to contribute several musical translations for brass quintet specially written for the Axiom Brass. Dorival has co-produced all of Axiom Brass’ albums including New Standards, First Impressions and Astor, which includes ten of his musical translations of Astor Piazzolla’s compositions. As a proponent of chamber music, Dorival has commissioned and premiered over fifty new works for brass, and is the founder and chief-editor of Brass Legacy, a publication and commissioning consortium dedicated to Brass Chamber Art Music. His works have been performed across the United States, Europe and Asia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University, a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music and a Doctoral degree from Michigan State University.