Corvus
The Crow
Snowstorm
This galaxy, which looks like a heart-shaped ribbon, is known as the "Antennae Galaxies." It is an interacting galaxy, formed by the collision and distortion of two separate galaxies. The ribbon-like structures extending from either side of the heart are streams of stars, gas, and other matter being pulled away as a result of the collision.
Sisask’s image for Corvus is "Snowstorm."
The first half of the piece, with its alternating, clattering rhythms, and the second half, where the music transitions into unison, evoke the image of two similar galaxies colliding and gradually merging. The leaping figures in the latter half convey an energy that seems to radiate outward. Perhaps Sisask chose the word "Snowstorm" to express the intensity of this force.
According to Hōei Nojiri, the constellation Corvus is said to represent a crow perched on the back of a sea serpent, pecking at it with its beak. Sisask's music certainly evokes the image of a crow pecking. However, after seeing the image of these colliding galaxies, the piece takes on an entirely different meaning for me.
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