CSO PROOF: The Meta Simulacrum Vol. 1

When asked how best to approach the irreversible effects of climate change, preeminent climatologist William deBuys advocates for a deep sense of elegy—a sincerely felt farewell anchored by a palpable sense of loss. Regardless of humanity's ongoing efforts to mitigate its effects, climate change will assuredly erase our once imagined future, morphing it into something far more complicated and challenging. Grounded in the retro-futurism of '80s culture, The Meta Simulacrum Vol. 1 serves as a requiem for our collective lost future. The performance debuts the first material generated through The Meta Simulacrum, an alternate digital reality platform designed by William Brittelle. Juxtaposing newly composed songs for an electro-acoustic ensemble of dynamic musical polymaths—drawn from alternative classical, jazz, neo-soul and experimental rock worlds—with re-contextualized elements of the '80s sound, The Meta Simulacrum Vol. 1 uses the symbology of our shared past to look forward into our uncertain future.

CREATIVE CONVERSATION: Watch the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Nate Bachhuber and composer William Brittelle explore the creation of the The Meta Simulacrum Vol. 1. View the video.