2. Band/Orchestra/Ensemble
3. Mixed Chamber Ensembles/Groups
4. Mixed Chamber Large Ensemble Music
5. 50607087

Planet: Chamber Orchestra Study Score New

“Study score for Weir's orchestral work commissioned by Britten Pears Arts for the Aldeburgh Festival 2024 where Weir was Composer in Residence.

PLANET is a set of three short orchestral pieces inspired by views of our planet, and galaxy, photographed from outer space. These are:

(1)”The blue marble“/Apollo 17

(2)”The pale blue dot“/Voyager 1

(3) Cluster NGC 6355 /Hubble Space Telescope

Musically, the three movements are primarily studies in texture and harmony. (1) explores a wide, almost- static set of chords (2) adark, thin atmosphere, briefly illuminated towards the end by shafts of sound (3) a dense collision of instrumental groups, eventually forming a rich harmonic mass. It may seem strange to have explored such a huge, cosmic subject by means of a smallish Mozart-sized orchestra. My inspiration here was a visit to the ingenious Eise Eisinga Planetarium at Franeker in the Netherlands (completed in 1781, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.) Built in the sitting room ceiling of a modestly sized house, and operated by a clockwork-style mechanism in the loft, it accurately represents the changing positions of the earth, sun, moon and five neighbouring planets, in real time.”

Details

Publisher: Chester Music
Publisher Code: CH88386
Credits: Iain Bell
Medium: Softcover
Pages: 48
Length: .00 in.
Width: .00 in.
Series: Study Score
Format: Study Score