| Commissioned | Kokkola Winter Accordion |
| Publisher | Gehrmans Musikförlag |
| Category | Soloist and Orchestra |
| Year | 2023 |
| Duration | 20 min |
| Orchestration | Accordion and string orchestra (min. 55432) |
| Opus Number | 87 |
Program note
Permafrost is soil or under water sediment that remains frozen continiously for two or more years. Permafrost underlies approximately 15% of the Northern Hemisphere or covers an area equivalent to 11% of the Earth’s total surface. As the global climate warms, it causes the previously frozen soil to thaw, reaching temperatures conducive to renewed decomposition. This process accelerates the permafrost carbon cycle.
The accordion concerto Permafrost is divided into three movements named after the three biggest forms of permafrost thawing that are a danger to our climate. They are Retrogressive Thaw Slumps, a type of landslide that occur in the terrestrial Arctic’s permafrost region, when an ice-rich section thaws. They are the most active and dynamic feature of thermokarst—the collapse of the land surface as ground ice melts. Thermokarst Lakes also called a thaw lakes, tundra lakes, thaw depressions, or tundra ponds, refers to a body of freshwater, usually shallow, that is formed in a depression formed by thawing ice-rich permafrost. Some lakes have been discovered to be bubbling due to enormous amounts of methane leaking into the atmosphere. Methane Craters are a rather new phenomena (discovered in 2014) which indicates that when permafrost thaws, there can occur huge methane explosions, that leave enormous craters in the ground.
Performances
2024 February 16th World Premiere Sonja Vertainen and Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra – More info