For narrator, orchestra, and recorded manatees

An orchestral tribute to one of the Everglades' greatest champions, the incomparable Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Written for narrator, orchestra and recorded manatees, and featuring selected texts from Douglas' landmark book, The Everglades: River of Grass, the 17-minute, one-movement work evokes Douglas' vision and spirit — and also pays tribute to the astonishing beauty of the Everglades.

To honor the memory of Marjory, 10% of the proceeds from the sale of this recording will be donated to her non-profit organization, Friends of the Everglades.

Voice of the Everglades interweaves heroic fanfares ... and lyrical melodies, as in the elegant, recurring "Marjory Stoneman Douglas" theme and the bittersweet "River of Grass" theme. Here, the moods and the sounds of the Everglades are evoked: flute and clarinet play soaring lines in canon evoking turkey vultures in flight; violins play a fluid repeating pattern with the harp and celesta signifying the river of Grass itself; violas emulate insects by tapping their fingers on the wood of their instruments and percussionists shake actual sawgrass bundles and play rainsticks and sea shells.

Featured musicians

• Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra
  Joel Eric Suben, conductor
• Clyde Butcher, narrator

Reviews

• "...a spoken documentary set to music, the subject being the preservation of the sub-tropical waterscape of Florida. You could perhaps think of it as a kind of conservationist Peter and the Wolf. Stylistically though it is closer to the narration genre of which Copland’s Lincoln Portrait is a good example. Heitzeg's work is a specific tribute to her and her tireless work in attempting to preserve the last wilderness of its type in North America. Her prose has a poetic ring in its use of imagery. This is a considerable advantage and adds to the impact of the piece.
   
  Heitzeg is known for his concern for social and environmental issues as well as his sensitivity to nature themes. His music reflects this and is likely, as I imply above, to be accessible to a wide audience." — John Leeman, MusicWeb International

Audio Samples

• Elegy for Recorded Manatees and Strings (excerpt)

Purchase

• Stone Circle Music SCM03 (2004)
• Purchase from Clyde Butcher Gallery
  (click "Purchase" then select "Music CD")