Seattle Symphony - John Luther Adams: Become Ocean (2014)

Totalism is a direction in music that was formed as a result of the continuation and development of the ideas of minimalism by composers of the generation of the 50s of the last century. In its origins, totalism is close to postminimalism. The term itself reflects an attempt to combine the external rhythm of minimalism with the internal complexity of dodecaphone music. In fact, totalist music can be either tonal or atonal, or both at the same time, but it is necessarily limited to a small number of chords within one single piece. The most famous Totalist composers are Kyle Gunn, Glenn Branca, John Luther Adams (not to be confused with the author of Nixon in China post-minimalist John Adams) and Bang on a Can member Evan Ziporin.
The American composer John Luther Adams (born 1953) uses images of nature, especially Alaska, in his work. The symphonic film 'Become an Ocean' won the Pulitzer Prize in 2014.