Christmas Island: Crab Migration
On a small island between Indonesia and Australia every year a strange event takes place. Out of the dense forest millions of red crabs start their journey to the other site of the Island. Leaving the shelter of the trees behind to reach the sea and start mating. Whole parts of the island are covered in red: hills, streets and even houses. Many of the crabs are hit by cars or are eaten by other animals. After reaching the sea and laying their eggs they return to their place in the forest. But they are not alone, a red sea of many, many little red crabs will follow them after a short period.
The score Christmas Island describes this wonderful event. There are two main themes, the island theme and the red crab theme. The composition starts by introducing the island, suddenly it starts to rain and the red crabs leave their shelters. After reaching the sea the theme of the red crabs starts to transform from 6/8 to 9/8 beat: the little crabs are born. The red sea is covering the island leaving a fantastic view: the island theme. The maturing of the little crabs combines the island theme and crab theme, this concludes the score.
Duration: 00:04:54
Grade: D
Composed in: 2009
Instrumentation: Wind Orchestra