The Birdsong Project is an endeavour organised by the Audubon Society as a ‘celebration of the joy and mysteries of birdsong’ via visual art, music and poetry.
In this music video, the celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma is seen and heard performing the composition In The Gale by Grammy-nominated English composer Anna Clyne, which pairs the celebrated American cellist with birdsong. The piece was recorded for Volume II of “For the Birds: The Birdsong Project.”
“The Birdsong Project is a community dedicated to the protection of bird life, and to the celebration of the joy and mysteries of birdsong. We believe that birds – no matter feather or flock – are precious and inspiring and fundamental to our world. That a world without birds would be a world without freedom and flight and song. We believe birds matter. Are endangered. And need our help.”
Perhaps the only piece of music written ‘for cello and birdsong’, the performance sees Ma alone with his instrument in a wooded landscape, performing the poignant work alongside a chorus of some of nature’s most gifted singers.
“In collaboration with some of the world’s greatest musicians, artists, and actors, For The Birds: The Birdsong Project is an art-filled, 20LP box set including over 200 tracks of original music and bird-related poetry. All proceeds from the sale of this collection and supporting events will directly benefit the National Audubon Society‘s mission to protect birds and the places they need, today, tomorrow, and for all our futures.”