Join Captain Phil along with Maria Zozulya, Jonathan Benz and MaryBeth Ritkouski for this lively chat with composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg (amandaleefalkenberg.com) about her new work, The Moons Symphony (www.moons-symphony.com), an orchestral piece centered on 6 moons from the outer solar system and one very familiar moon in our backyard. Amanda talks about her inspiration from the Voyager missions and her collaborations with NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott, her choices of subject matter and the inspiration of current space research has had on out sense of wonder. Then at 4:30pm join me for a live interview with musician and composer Izzy Meth (https://theizzymeth.com/) as he updates us on his musical journey, his new compositions and more! All this on your favorite planet....Captain Phil's Planet!
Amanda Lee Falkenberg
amandaleefalkenberg.com
www.moons-symphony.com
Instagram: @amandafilmmusic
YouTube: The Moons Symphony
Twitter: @musicformoons
“I hope that the listener to this piece can feel not just the power and the majesty of the music but also the incredible science behind the piece … we know such a small amount about our universe ... and this symphony starts to shed light on that fact” Marin Alsop
Inspired by the beauty and majesty of the moons in our solar system, composer Amanda Lee Falkenberg’s major new work is a thrilling merger of music and science. Discovering these fascinating moons of the outer solar system made her realise “These moons need music – these moons need emotion.” Extensive research followed and discussions with leading planetary scientists at NASA/JPL, John Hopkins APL and UMich along with consultations with astronauts helped shape the stories of the symphony.
Falkenberg’s experience as a film composer made her acutely aware of music’s emotional power and how she could unleash the moons’ secrets and transport the listener to experience each moon’s unique exotic habitats on a stunning space adventure.
The Moons Symphony culminates in a powerful final movement, with full choir and soloists, where humanity stands together on the surface of our moon to view our planet from this unique vantage point – a view that has changed our perception of our place in the universe and of our planet.
The powerful and emotional score from this final movement accompanied the tribute video shown at the Kennedy Space Center’s celebration of Apollo 8’s 50th Anniversary.
This world premiere recording, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop, concludes with Falkenberg playing Debussy’s Clair de Lune and a reading of Falkenberg’s poem Reflections on Symphonic Space Flight by retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott. The contemplative piano piece and the poem brings the listener ‘Back to Earth’ after their journey through Space – but that journey has only just begun as Falkenberg states:
“We are on a mission. It’s my hope that this symphony will offer a chance to reflect on who and where we are and through the awe and wonder of spaceflight we celebrate Earthrise together.”
International award-winning composer and pianist, Australian born Amanda Lee Falkenberg began her journey into composition through years spent in ballet studios as an accompanist, including the Australian Ballet company. She wrote over 120 pieces to accompany ballet dancers as they trained, which led to her Moving With Music album series.
In 2003 her first full-length orchestral ballet was commissioned, Edge of the World, and performed by the International Barossa Music Festival Orchestra with the prestigious Leigh Warren and Dancers, which received glowing reviews.
Inspired by visual imagery, Falkenberg’s natural progression led her to write for film and TV, stage plays, documentaries, animation series and feature films, including her cinematic soundtrack to the screen adaption of Wilfred Thesiger’s Arabian Sands.
In 2017, she conducted the world premiere of her orchestral suite Sea Trilogy with the London Film Music Orchestra at their Gala Concert. Later that year, she completed her Arabian inspired concerto
for piano and orchestra, Crossing of the Crescent Moon, after which she began The Moons Symphony.
Described by The Beauty of Space Art authors Jon Ramer and Ron Miller as “One of the most extraordinary achievements in space-inspired music, and perhaps the first to be accomplished in direct collaboration with astronomers and scientists”, Falkenberg has presented the work to global audiences including the NASA/JPL; Caltech; the Planetary Society of Los Angeles radio show from Imperial College, London; the London Science Museum; COP26 in Glasgow; the Dubai Expo; the Euro Planet Science Congress EPSC in Geneva and the TEDx Youth Conference.
In 2020, Corporate Vision magazine awarded The Moons Symphony their Media Innovative Award and recognised the work as the Most Promising Modern Orchestral Symphony Production 2020.
Falkenberg has received many nominations and won multiple international contests, including the Great American Song Contest and Marvin Hamlisch emerging film composer contest in New York; the International Composition Competition in Italy; Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) and the Los Angeles Music Awards.
IZZY METH (https://theizzymeth.com/) grew up wanting to make music. He began drum lessons at 8, guitar at 12, and taught himself keyboards at 16. Some of his earliest memories are Mike Love reaching down to shake his hand at a Beach Boys concert and Peppi Marchello dedicating “Don’t Hate the Ones Who Bring You Rock & Roll” to him at age 5.
IZZY’s first commercial release—a startling homage to Rush’s “The Spirit of Radio”—received glowing notices from members of The Smithereens, KISS, The Dictators, Dramarama and Twisted Sister. His second single drops on Nov. 25th with a special guest (who hasn’t recorded in decades!)