premiere: 12.05.2021, Randers Concert Hall (Denmark)
Randers Kammerorkester, Dirigent: David Riddell
duration: 11′
instrumentation: 1/1/1/1 – 1/0/0/0 – 1/1/1/1/1

The ocean is full of sound. Underwater sound is created by a variety of natural sources, such as waves, rain and wildlife. Underwater sound allows marine animals to gather information and communicate at great distances. The complex acoustic phenomena are still a mystery to us. Increasingly we learn that marine creatures are really acoustic beings. My piece tells of this fascinating and powerful audio world of the ocean.
Underwater sound is also generated by man-made sources, such as ships, military sonars, explosives or wind parks. We are only at the beginning of a process to understand to what extent these noises drown out the natural soundscape of the ocean and influence the marine life.

"It is noisy in the ocean…" can be played in three different versions:
- as an ensemble piece of ten musicians without further additives
- supplemented by 5 ad hoc performers (e.g. from the audience) who use a small variety of simple noise generators to enrich the sound at marked points in the piece (a briefing and a short extra rehearsal is necessary - further information is available by the composer)
- as an ensemble piece with electronics that mainly add the anthropogenic sounds to the piece (the samples can be ordered by the composer)