Other Worlds, London Contemporary Orchestra, Barbican Hall

With the warnings of global warming experts ringing in our ears, the timing of a musical response to climate change could hardly be more appropriate.

Other Worlds at the Barbican imagines in music our planet Earth engulfed by the oceans, as the avoidable impact of global warming melts the icecaps. Presented by the innovative London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir under Robert Ames, Other Worlds does not flinch at the possibility of catastrophe.

In the first of two pieces, the visionary American composer John Luther Adams foresees our drowned state in Become Ocean. With what one commentator calls ‘maybe the loveliest apocalypse in musical history’, Adams uses memorable and penetrating sounds and effects that will leave the listener thinking twice about leaving the lights on or driving to the shop.

John Luther Adams was inspired by the sounds of the Pacific crashing against the Alaskan home where he lived for nearly 40 years. He relates that he slept with the windows open to keep a physical proximity to the sea, however threatening it might be. Writing about Nature, he says, is 'a way of making us more present in the world'.

Giacinto Scelsi’s Uaxuctum also issues a warning both beautiful to listen to and awesome to contemplate. His vast orchestra and choir creates a fierce, haunting atmosphere that builds to an apocalyptic climax as an ancient Mayan city implodes.

Buy a ticket, show that the environment matters to you, and take part in a collective act of respect for the planet.