Dune

Program Notes:

I went to hear the Dunes sing. The Kelso Dunes are renowned for their moaning song – a sound similar to a section of low cellos or string basses forcefully wailing. This is one of only a few places in the world where this phenomenon occurs. The climb appears easy, but the constant sliding back makes it longer than it looks. On hot sunny days, as the wind whips, or as people playfully slide down, the hot dry top layer of sand rubs against the lower cooler layer of sand. This effect has also been observed at the Eureka Dunes in California, Sand Mountain in Nevada, and the Booming Dunes in the Namib Desert of Africa. The day prior to my arrival was stormy with flash floods. The clouds threatened as we climbed up the highest dune in a chilly wind. No hot sand, no booming singing. And yet, the sand, the eerie atmosphere and feeling of desolation created its own melody as I drove away…

– Christina Rusnak 2020

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