MUSIC
Tracklist
Instrumental Passages
On Track for Antarctica
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1. Sonata Antarctica for Small Orchestra
Many geographical features on Antarctica’s largest island, Alexander Island, off the west coast in the Bellingshausen Sea, were named in the late 1950s after classical music composers. Examples include Beethoven Peninsula, Bach Ice Shelf, Brahms Inlet, Mozart Ice Piedmont, Berlioz Point, Mount Strauss, Debussy Heights and Mahler Spur.
In recognition of this connection between Antarctic sites and composers, we offer up our own folky, classically-inspired three-part suite for the continent.
2. Trances and Pulses
A pulsating star research program was started in 2007 at the very isolated Dome C at the French-Italian Concordia Research Station, on the high Antarctic Plateau. This is one of the best places on earth for astronomical observations. The purpose was to study the internal structure of stars and stellar evolution. Robotic photometers have been developed to provide uninterrupted observations over polar nights, rivalling more costly observations made from space. Elsewhere on earth, trance music developed in the 1990s as a hypnotic synthesizer-based melodic form of pulsating dance music.
Our track journeys from distant stars to the south polar plateau, through some trippy musical pulsation fields.
3. Farewell to White
“Parting is such sweet sorrow” is a quote from Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. It’s also a very appropriate feeling for anyone who has ever visited Antarctica and has been imbued with memories of the wondrous landscapes and wildlife. Tourism is an important activity in Antarctica, largely in the Antarctic Peninsula area. There were an estimated 124,000 visitors for the 2024-25 season, who came mainly on ships of various sizes. Debates continue as to the sustainable level of visitors and about the appropriateness and effectiveness of the management of this self-governed activity.
Our track presents an Antarctic love lilt for those who have had the privilege to visit and fall in love with the white continent. Alternately, it is also a regret for loss of vital Southern Ocean ice cover in an age of climate warming.
4. Funky Penguin
Funk music originated in the mid-1960s as a dynamic, danceable urban music style, blended from R&B, blues, jazz and gospel. It’s heavy on bass, syncopated drum beats and guitar rhythms, rather than melodic progression. In street slang, funky means cool, earthy and stylish, in an unconventional way. It may also mean a bad odour, if used negatively. Is Antarctica funky? Definitely; it’s cool for its extreme and splendorous attributes. Are penguins funky? For sure; these hardy and social birds have a unique appeal to all. For those people visiting coastal landing spots, the ubiquitous smell of penguin guano adds a special memorable funkiness to the experience.
Our track offers a funky musical take on Antarctica and its iconic waddling, sliding and gliding penguins.
5. Life on a Cold Seafloor
In early 2025, a 200 sq. mi. section of an ice shelf broke off on the western Antarctic Peninsula, adjacent to Alexander Island. A research ship was nearby and took the opportunity to explore the ocean bottom where the ice shelf section had just been. Little was previously known of what existed below ice shelves and this was the first extensive study. What they found was a thriving ecosystem of sponges, corals, icefish, giant sea spiders and octopuses. This newly exposed seafloor was at a depth up to 4,000 feet and had been covered by 500 feet of floating ice shelf for centuries.
Our track presents a musical impression of such a dark, unexplored thriving world.
6. Being an Artist in Antarctica
There are several countries with Antarctic operations that run funded programs to bring artists to Antarctica, with mandates to increase the public’s awareness of the region. Artistic categories might include writing, visual, performance and installation arts, and music. Often, there may be a parallel mandate for the support of the science being done. In addition to their illustrative and creative explorations of Antarctica, artists can have a role as critical analysts and may be seen as researchers in their own right, a view not always supported by scientists and funding agencies.
Our upbeat track applauds artists who have found their particular creative interpretations of the dynamics and essence of this remote world.
7. The Long Ice Road
The South Pole Traverse is a 1,000-mile overland route from McMurdo Station on the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. It was funded by the U. S. National Science Foundation and completed in 2005. The route crosses the massive Ross Ice Shelf and ascends a glacier to the polar plateau. Built over levelled ice and snow and many crevasses that were filled, the road requires maintenance every year due to movement of the ice sheets. The Traverse is used by tracked vehicles with sleds to haul heavy cargo and fuel, in trips that take about 25 days. Return trips, being downhill, are faster, lasting ten days. Regular cargo flights between Pole and McMurdo Station take three hours and are limited as to weight carried. This road has saved the cost of many supply flights over the ensuing years.
Our bluesy, swampy track portrays the slow grind of huge loads being dragged over a long, icy, uphill journey.
8. Ice Crusher
The Antarctic Snow Cruiser was a transport vehicle designed for the 1939-42 U. S. Antarctic Service Expedition, led by Richard Byrd. It was a massive 75,000 lb., 16-foot high monster, with smooth, treadless 10-foot high tires. Due to lack of traction, which was actually better in reverse gear, and sinking too much in the snow, it was ultimately abandoned on the Ross Ice Shelf in 1940. Later located in 1958, that was the last time it was seen. Informed speculation is that it calved into the Ross Sea with the part of the ice shelf it was on and is now resting somewhere on the sea bottom.
In this track, we explore some heavy duty snow traction action.
9. Postlude to Antarctica
We conclude the album with a musical passage through a wondrous coastal vista of ice-strewn channels and icebergs, flanked by glaciated mountains rising from the depths of the cold, deep waters. The four movements of this track echo and bookend the opening three-part piece on this album, with a mixture of percussive pop and chamber strings.
10. Holiday in Antarctica
Our track takes a tropical view of Antarctic travel, coloured by a warming global climate, which is of great concern for Antarctica.
11. Metronome
Our track is a commentary that time is clicking relentlessly on global warming. It’s melodically based on one of the most commonly used pop music styles, the doo-wop progression, especially popular in the 1950s.
Credits
Musical compositions by Valmar Kurol & Michael Stibor, ©2025
Synthesizer & programming, guitars, arrangements and mixing by Michael Stibor
Additional arrangements by Valmar Kurol
Mastered by Richard Addison, Trillium Mastering (Montreal, Canada) www.trilliumsound.com
Photographs and track notes by Valmar Kurol
Album graphics by Michael Valcenat
Produced by Valmar Kurol
© 2025 Valmar Kurol & Michael Stibor