Some 400 metres deep and eight kilometres long, the Bletterbach Canyon lies between Aldein and Radein. Formed since the last Ice Age about 18,000 years ago, it is like a giant cross-section of the various rock layers that were created millions of years ago.
Layer by layer, like a stack of boards, the history of the Earth lies almost undisturbed in stone and tells of the gradual flooding of the former primeval continent of Pangaea by the Tethys Sea, as well as revealing the climate fluctuations, plant life and footprints of the reptiles and amphibians that once lived there. It is the Bletterbach stream itself that invites us on a journey through time and rock strata, from the uppermost Contrin Formation to the Werfen Strata, on via the Bellerophon Formation and the Gardena Sandstone to the quartz porphyry at the foot of the canyon. Musically, in Rupert Hechensteiner’s imagination, it begins as a thin stream that layer by layer burrows its way into the depths, transforming itself again and again, sometimes meeting soft material, sometimes hard once more. Over time the river gains in strength and dynamism, only to allow its energy to flow slowly and sluggishly once again, connecting with the rock, working at it and thus gradually shaping this unique landscape.
On the ten-year anniversary of the Dolomites becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the South Tyrolean musician and composer Rupert Hechensteiner was commissioned to create his work „Bletterbach Canyon”. He takes us on an impressive tour through the breathtaking gorge, describing the multi-layered sedimentary rocks and the fossil deposits in all their unique colour nuances. Just as each rock stratum has its own characteristics, so the corresponding musical ideas also differ. The motif of the Bletterbach remains recognisable even as it changes, thus running like a thread through this journey into time and rock.
Buy your entrance tickets and descend into the fascinating world of the Bletterbach Canyon!