Sam Wu: Europa (2015)

Inspired by my lifelong fascination with the cosmos, Europa is a musical fantasy about the Jovian moon Europa, a leading candidate for extraterrestrial life within our solar system.

The piece consists of three sections, with a quasi-improvisatory introduction. The first section is inspired by the idea of an immense, bottomless ocean beneath Europa’s icy crust. The music here allows room for imagination—what life forms dwell beneath the endless sea? The second section further develops a sense of the 'tempo’ of life in Europa's ancient underwater civilizations. I imagine grace and tranquility, in a world with near-absolute-zero temperatures. The last section depicts the moon’s core as Europa’s origin of life. The molten core, protected above by ice and supported below by fire, provides enduring energy to Europa's oceans.

Throughout this piece, I try to capture a sense of wonder and curiosity—both qualities that I am afraid to lose as I grow up.

May 2nd, 2015: Harvard Bach Society Orchestra, cond. by Sam Wu
Paine Hall, Harvard University