AT THE BREAK OF GONDWANA (Benjamin Yeo)

AT THE BREAK OF GONDWANA by Benjamin Yeo Performed by Ang Mo Kio Secondary School Symphonic Band Conducted by Mr. Brando Tan (Band Director) 01 June 2010, Limelight Concert Series Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore Publisher: BERIATO Music ( http://www.beriato.com/music/en/shop-detail.asp?ProdID=2624 ) For more detail about the music and/or the composer, please visit http://benjaminyeo.wordpress.com/ or http://benjaminyeo.wordpress.com/2008/08/29/in-the-winter-early-hours-at-the-break-of-gondwana/ Program Notes: AT THE BREAK OF GONDWANA is a composition based on the beautiful landscapes of the Gap and the Natural Bridge of Albany, Western Australia. The work reflects my impressions of this magnificent sight at dawn during the winter, as I stood near that rugged coastline where the continents of Australia and Antarctica were once bound together. These two continents formed part of the supercontinent called Gondwana that existed about 200 million years ago. The piece opens with the "Grandeur of Supercontinent", Gondwana, depicting its magnificence as one gigantic land mass. The continents of Australia and Antarctica which were part of this huge land mass started to separate from each other 45 million years ago when the last section of the supercontinent broke apart, and are represented by the use of 4/4 and 5/4 meter changes. The sounds of bubbling volcanic lava and exploding rocks can be heard as the two land masses breaks off violently accompanied by tremors from the earthquakes. As I stood along this break-up point with the strong winter winds, I witnessed the beauty of the remaining landforms of the Natural Bridge and the Gap with the ocean waters crashing beneath them. Despite its beauty, it has a tragic history as many innocent lives have been lost at this dangerous stretch of coastline, with some of the roughest seas in the world. In the future, the Gap will widen and disappear; the Natural Bridge will collapse and form a new gap as our restless mother earth continues to drift the continents apart!