UK based, internationally known publication The Guardian recently included Toni Castells‘ live presentation of 2045 in their list “Five of the Best Live Classical Concerts”.
I’m not an expert on live classical concerts or even classical music, but I know something epic when I hear it…or in this case feel and experience it. At least the recorded version, considering I missed the premier event at St. James’s Piccadilly in London.
2045 is the year in which the techno-scientific elite have predicted we will reach a point known as Technological Singularity. At this point, man and technology will merge and exist as one…. think wearable technology like your Apple Watch or Google Glass taken quite a bit further down the rabbit hole.
Toni Castells moving masterpiece, 2045, sonically explores this paradigm as things we once read and passed off as science fiction is quickly becoming a reality. It is an album that is bigger than music; it is an amazing work of art.
Who are we to play God? Disrupt nature’s cycles? Is there a purpose to our mortality? A purpose for dying? Does anyone really want to live forever?!
[Tweet “2045, Technological Singularity and Human Mortality explored in this magnificent OPUS by @ToniCastells #np “]
As we move through the 5 sections, each reflecting the five stages of a fruit tree, we explore the process of life and moving toward death. This first block of the movement consists of three sections. The second and third sections navigate us through thoughts about the immortal nature of our human soul and what happens after the event we perceive as death.
To make these sections even more potent and impactful, the two blocks (Sections 1 then Sections 2 & 3) are divided exactly at The Golden Ratio and each of the individual pieces follow the timings of the Fibonacci Sequence.
Now that’s music with some serious depth, thought, and unrelenting passion behind it!
2045 is an amazing work of art, it is bigger than music.
The topic of 2045 and the fast paced developments which are making the prediction of Singularity a reality faster than we’re prepared for is something that weights heavy on my mind and my heart.
Toni Castells has done an AMAZING job at capturing the mood, the aura and the essence of these simultaneously exciting yet haunting times. Regular appearances of talks and quotes from Ray Kurzweil and the techno-scientific community (who are racing toward Singularity at exponential speeds) serve as a chilling reminder that science fiction will be science fact….despite how we feel about it deep down inside.
For a better understanding of the piece and to see clips of the live performance, watch this excellent trailer on YouTube.
2045 is available on Spotify and iTunes.
Connect directly with Toni Castells on his official website, FB, Twitter or Soundcloud.
Below the embed I have included a list of credits for all the amazing creatives who worked on 2045.
Credits:
- Meeta Raval – Soprano
- Alexandra Kennedy – Soprano (recorded)
- Oliver Gerrish – Countertenor
- Helios Voices – Choir
- Ruth Rogers – Violin
- Katherine Jenkinson – Cello
- Martin Cousin – Piano
- Olivia Duque – Cor Anglais
- Martin Stephens – Electric Bass
- Toni Castells – Electronics + Keyboards + Voice
- Jo Lord – Technical Director
- Martyn Larcombe – Assistant Technical Director
- Ben Palmer – Audio Engineer
- Laura Beck – Audio Engineer
