Uploaded October 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
PSAPPHA ENSEMBLE
Conrad Marshall - flute
Dov Goldberg - clarinet
Benjamin Powell - piano
Benedict Holland & Catherine Yates - violins
Heather Wallington - viola
Jennifer Langridge - cello
The film of this performance was made possible through the support of the Granada Foundation.
Learn more about Psappha: psappha.com
!Please use headphone for the best audio quality!
Richard Feynman questioned absolutely everything. It made him one
of the greatest minds in twentieth-century Physics, but also the most
marvellous explainer of things. With unique perspective and irresistible
enthusiasm, he drew our attention to the strange and beautiful truths
behind even the most familiar of things.
“And so it turns out that trees are made of air! When they burn, they go
back to air, releasing the flaming heat of the Sun which converted the air
to a tree in the first place!”
Feynman’s infectious curiosity became entwined with this music as it
began to evolve around re-discovering wonder in the familiar - from
the bizarre elegance and raw energy of natural processes, to a
renewed interest in some purer musical building blocks. The flow of
the piece also emulates Feynman’s way of explaining things - a
relentless questioning of the same phenomena from different angles,
leading to a deeper and stranger view of reality.
Trees Made from Air is a Psappha commission supported by the Fidelio
Charitable Trust, the Peter Maxwell Davies Trust, PRS Foundation
(through the Talent Development Partner scheme) and donations to
Psappha’s Composition Bank.
Learn more about George Stevenson: georgestevenson.com
PSAPPHA ENSEMBLE
Conrad Marshall - flute
Dov Goldberg - clarinet
Benjamin Powell - piano
Benedict Holland & Catherine Yates - violins
Heather Wallington - viola
Jennifer Langridge - cello
The film of this performance was made possible through the support of the Granada Foundation.
Learn more about Psappha: psappha.com
!Please use headphone for the best audio quality!
Richard Feynman questioned absolutely everything. It made him one
of the greatest minds in twentieth-century Physics, but also the most
marvellous explainer of things. With unique perspective and irresistible
enthusiasm, he drew our attention to the strange and beautiful truths
behind even the most familiar of things.
“And so it turns out that trees are made of air! When they burn, they go
back to air, releasing the flaming heat of the Sun which converted the air
to a tree in the first place!”
Feynman’s infectious curiosity became entwined with this music as it
began to evolve around re-discovering wonder in the familiar - from
the bizarre elegance and raw energy of natural processes, to a
renewed interest in some purer musical building blocks. The flow of
the piece also emulates Feynman’s way of explaining things - a
relentless questioning of the same phenomena from different angles,
leading to a deeper and stranger view of reality.
Trees Made from Air is a Psappha commission supported by the Fidelio
Charitable Trust, the Peter Maxwell Davies Trust, PRS Foundation
(through the Talent Development Partner scheme) and donations to
Psappha’s Composition Bank.
Learn more about George Stevenson: georgestevenson.com
