Prepare to be transported beyond the stars in Term 2 with Henry Dehlinger’s Cosmic Cycles: A Space Symphony, an extraordinary multimedia and symphonic experience that captures the majesty and mystery of the universe, your spaceship courtesy of UNSW Orchestra.

This spectacular collaboration with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre and the National Philharmonic presents a fusion of live orchestral music and stunning visualisations from space.

Cosmic Cycles is a symphonic suite that highlights different aspects of our universe, combining rich orchestral textures with the thematic elements of space exploration. Each movement of the piece is designed to evoke the wonder and mystery of the cosmos:

1. The Sun - A vibrant and powerful opening that captures the immense energy and presence of our solar system's star.
2. Earth, Our Home - Celebrates our planet with themes that reflect its delicate beauty and the dynamic environment, inspired by the view from space.
3. Earth as Art - Presents stunning musical interpretations of Earth's natural landscapes, mirroring the aesthetic beauty seen in satellite images.
4. The Moon - Explores the stark and haunting beauty of the lunar surface, commemorating humanity’s historic lunar missions.
5. Planetary Fantasia - A musical journey through the planets of our solar system, each characterised by distinct musical themes and rhythms.
6. The Travelers - Focuses on the asteroids and comets, the nomadic celestial bodies that wander through our solar system.
7. Echoes of the Big Bang - An expansive exploration of the origins of the universe, featuring sonifications of astronomical phenomena.

We had the pleasure of speaking with our Orchestra conductor, Dr. Steven Hillinger, who shared his insights on the programming of the piece and what the audience can anticipate at the concert.

• How did you first come across Dehlinger’s Cosmic Cycles: A Space Symphony? What was your initial reaction and what aspects stood out to you?

When I was originally devising the program for this concert, I was contemplating the idea of performing Holst’s ‘The Planets’. Although ‘The Planets’ is a substantial composition, it’s only about 50 minutes in length and is usually performed with at least one other work. I thought about creating a ‘space-themed’ concert and began looking around for other pieces that I thought would complement the Holst. While rummaging around online, Henry Dehlinger’s Cosmic Cycles appeared. I listened to the introduction of the first movement, ‘The Sun’, and was immediately grabbed by the incredible soundscape the composer had created. Once I realised that there was also a visual component, and that the music had been composed specifically to accompany these images supplied by NASA, and watched it together with the music, I knew that this was a work I wanted to perform with the UNSW Orchestra.

• Are there particular sections or movements within Cosmic Cycles that you think will be especially captivating for the audience?

I have come to love Cosmic Cycles and what the piece represents. The entire 7-movement work takes us on a remarkable journey from the centre of our solar system to the far reaches of space and the origins of the ‘Big Bang’. All the footage and images, which are projected on a large screen above the orchestra, are from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre and are simply extraordinary – particularly the footage from the James Webb telescope. The two movements relating to Earth, ‘Earth, Our Home’ and ‘Earth as Art’ are especially poignant, as we witness just how beautiful and fragile our planet is.

• What do you hope the audience will take away from experiencing this contemporary piece, both musically and thematically?

Cosmic Cycles is a new work that premiered in the US in 2023. Dehlinger was approached by NASA who commissioned him to compose music to the images which they had supplied. Although I have seen concerts where images of space have been projected onto a screen to accompany the music, as far as I’m aware, this is the first time that music has been composed to accompany images from space. In this work, Dehlinger writes in a style that, although using contemporary composition techniques is, at the same time, very accessible to the listener. He intentionally quotes several other composers including Holst, Stravinsky, Copland and others, making the piece feel somehow familiar. My hope is that the audience will walk away with an appreciation not only of the surrounding world in which we live, but also the way in which we, and everything around us and throughout the cosmos, is connected. This performance will be more than just a concert, it will be an experience.

Don't miss out! Ticketing information coming soon!