Diamond Rain
In the summer of 2017, I read that scientists recreated atmospheric conditions on Neptune in order to prove a curious meteorological phenomenon. The process, involving artificial “lightning”activating particles of carbon and hydrogen in the “atmosphere,” resulted in proof that diamonds can rain down out of the sky on certain planets in the outer reaches of our solar system. The idea – or, at least my layperson’s understanding of the idea – brought wonderful musical imagery to my mind. Diamond Rain is my vision of what it might be like to hover in the sky of a planetary Ice Giant, like Neptune, as lightning strikes and tiny diamonds crystallize and fall to the ground. Floating, ephemeral musical figures are juxtaposed with grounded, angular material in this imaginary journey. Diamond Rain was commissioned and premiered by Maestro Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
"Roshanne Etezady's 'Diamond Rain' is all brilliant shimmer, coiled energy, slashing release. Effective and inviting. "
Ms. Etezady’s 'Diamond Rain,’ inspired by an amusing meteorological phenomenon suggesting that diamonds could fall from Neptune’s skies, emerged as a showpiece of vivid orchestral colors, allowing the players to demonstrate their technical prowess within appealing, occasionally unexpected sonorities
Fresher gestures—a cabasa rattling, sandpaper blocks scraping, and some Middle Eastern flavors—along with a lovely, pensive conclusion, courtesy of the woodwinds, conveyed a distinct personality.
