“Earth Notes” Concert Inspires Youth to Focus on Nature

Earth Day Network-India teamed up with the prestigious Calcutta School of Music to present “Earth Notes,” an environmentally-themed classical music concert. The event was held on January 20, 2013, at the school’s Sandre Hall; and it turned out to be one of the school’s most successful events, according to its president, Dickoo Nowroji.

During and after the concert, the young people in the audience illustrated their thoughts and wrote about scenes from nature that the music inspired.

The concert featured celebrity Italian flautist Uberto Orlando. Orlando played “Siciliano” by Bach to set a pastoral mood. This was followed by other pieces such as Mozart’s “Andante” in C major K315, Gabriel Faure’s “Pavane” in F sharp minor, and Debussy’s “Arabesque” in E major. He was accompanied on the piano by Arup Mitra.

The pieces evoked many different responses in the audience as they went about the task of representing their thoughts through illustrations and creative write-ups on the spot. Some wrote about various environmental problems and ways to address them, and some were moved by the music to depict their favorite scenes in nature. In the paintings, there was a display of beautiful, bold colours and notable depictions of dawn, dusk and night.

After the formal concert, Orlando called each of the illustrators and writers up onto the stage to explain their pieces as they relate to nature and take pledges to do something for the environment.

Earth Day Network presented all the participants with saplings to plant and nurture.

Here are some of their illustrations and a few of the accompanying words:

“People have forgotten the importance of nature.”

 
“The calmness of nature can change our thoughts and emotions.”

“Touched by the music and the beauty of nature, feelings change as I feel myself closer to nature.”

“Why is the world dark? Am I the only colour left?”

“The beauty of nature is lost as urbanization takes place.”

“Nature’s destruction is furious. And when nature destroys us, there is nothing left.”