Composed by John Higgins, Regenesis Song of the Planet is a contemporary descriptive overture which musically depicts the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980, Washington. The eruption, with the force of 500 Hiroshimas, covered over 230 square miles of the surrounding area. Sixty people within this vicinity were killed along with much of the wildlife. This piece reflects the ever changing life cycle of the Earth. The themes of the piece include Vistas, Warning, Cataclysm, Void and Renewal.
Vistas shows the grandness that there is after much time of growth. This leads into a faster tempo section marked by an allegretto, which depicts everyday life as being full and lively. Warning is a short transition between Vistas and Cataclysm, catching the listeners ear as tension builds in the music, and the dynamics grow louder. A grand pause holds all the tension built for one last measure which is then let loose as Mount St. Helens erupts, featuring especially the low brass section. After a few more bursts of dynamics depicting more lava spewing from Mount St. Helens, the Void is reached. With the destruction over, barely anything is left untouched, everything is motionless. After a short 8 measures, the fifth and final section is reached, Renewal. As its name infers, Renewal starts off slowly as a section of rebirth and once again into a lively section identical to Vistas. To end off the piece is a very forceful section which, as I found, shows that in the end, happiness, peace and order truly can be found even after the worst of events.
For a sample of this piece, go to http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/store/smp_detail.html?item=3107865. Though this does not have a full length version, it will give you an idea of what the piece is like.