Under the glow of Luke Jerram鈥檚 replica of our planet, hear a concert of heavenly works for strings, from Vaughan Williams to Hildur Gu冒nad贸ttir.
The scene is set for tonight鈥檚 concert by Vaughan Williams鈥� timeless Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, which opens with solemn chords before expanding into soaring strings. This contemplative work was inspired by a Tudor tune by 16th-century composer Thomas Tallis, and first performed in Gloucester Cathedral in 1910.
We skip forward in time for two short works by Oscar-winning composer and cellist Hildur Gu冒nad贸ttir. The melancholy cello melody of 鈥樀Π�� drifts into silence, before driving rhythms announce 鈥極paque鈥�.
Gaia bathes in musical light as we hear contemporary composer Dobrinka Tabakova鈥檚 Sun Triptych, composed in 2007. The shimmering 鈥楧awn鈥� builds to a glorious 鈥楧ay鈥�, alive with movement and warmth, and then 鈥楧usk鈥� settles in, meditative and mellifluous.
Speaking directly to the heart, Barber鈥檚 transcendent Adagio for Strings is a staple in film soundtracks, thanks to its raw emotional power. As critic Michael Steinberg said, 鈥楤arber 鈥� at 26 鈥� created something that has that rare quality of seeming always to have been there.鈥�
Arvo P盲rt wrote his Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten on hearing of the older composer鈥檚 death in 1976. He said, 鈥榝or a long time I had wanted to meet Britten personally 鈥� and now it would not come to that.鈥� Bells and layers of descending strings give the impression of a church service.
The concert takes place underneath Gaia, a touring artwork by UK artist Luke Jerram. Measuring seven metres in diameter and created from 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the Earth鈥檚 surface, the artwork provides the opportunity to see our planet, floating in three dimensions.
