Description
Approximately 4.5 billion years ago, an astronomical body - about the size of Mars - and the young proto-Earth were on a collision course. The following giant impact caused massive amounts of debris in space that would eventually form our Moon. The object that struck the early Earth was named Theia, after a Greek Mythological Titaness who gave birth to the Moon goddess Selene. In this work, I am observing the Moon's long history in a non-linear way. There are plenty of violent collisions and turmoil of the distant past, but on the other hand, here and there, a modern-day couple is peacefully sitting on a park bench and admiring the beautiful sight of the full Moon. Perhaps, in addition to a few moonstruck lovers, there is also a Werewolf lurking in the park.
The Musikalische Akademie of the National Theater Orchestra Mannheim gave me the commission to write this work. That was a perfect opportunity to re-explore the famous 18th-century "Mannheim school" and the orchestral techniques developed there: and, indeed, one can spot quite a few "Mannheim Rockets" and the "Mannheim Sighs" in Theia.
Tomi Räisänen, 2015/2023
Instrumentation
3333 4331 13 1, str [pic, ehn, bcl, cbsn]
Category
Works for Orchestra or Large Ensemble
Premiere
NTO Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim, conducted by Pietari Inkinen, May 11, 2015, Mannheim, Germany
Commisioned by / dedications
Commissioned by Musikalische Akademie des Nationaltheater-Orchesters Mannheim
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