‘Cosmic Reflection’ to premiere at InCite Arts Festival

Three years ago, composer Nolan Gasser was commissioned by Pierre Schwob, founder of Classical Archives, to write a piece for launching the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope into space. To circumvent bad weather and other potential delays, the fanfare he composed was recorded by the American Brass Quintet and played at the June 2008 launch in tandem with a video prepared by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. By that time, the project had evolved into “Cosmic Reflection: A Narrated Symphony” for full orchestra. Now, little more than a year after the telescope blasted into space, the symphony’s world premiere is the culminating event of Boston University College of Fine Arts’ four-day InCite Arts Festival held in Washington for the first time to celebrate the relationships among the arts, science and politics.

Gasser’s symphony will be performed in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall by the Boston University Symphony Orchestra conducted by David Hoose. The narration by Carey Harrison, son of actor Rex Harrison, was written by Schwob, who is also Harrison’s stepbrother, and Lawrence M. Krauss. The multimedia project is accompanied by detailed NASA GSFC video.

“I conceived the piece in consultation with scientists involved in the project and decided on a brass fanfare as the prelude of a celebration,” Gasser said. “I wanted to tell a story, but first I had to know the mission of the telescope initially known as GLAST and exactly what a gamma ray is.”

Because his doctorate is in musicology, Gasser knew little about physics, so his initial reaction was part terror mixed with enormous excitement. He plunged into his studies in earnest and now is proud to call himself a full-fledged physics geek. He even enjoys reading physics texts in bed, to his wife’s puzzlement.

Gasser divides his time between composing, conducting, arranging, and playing the piano. Because his areas of expertise range from medieval liturgy to jazz, he is excited by original concepts. For this symphony, he used the entire orchestra like a huge color palette, designating certain instruments to interface with the spoken narrative a la “Peter and the Wolf.” His music fleshes out ideas and helps depict difficult concepts, such as the meeting of anti-matter particles.

The prologue, performed once again by the American Brass Quintet, leads into the mysteries pondered by wise men throughout history. The creation movement illustrating the birth of the universe at the big bang is followed by first light to first stars, the period when protons become neutrons, hydrogen becomes helium and the universe begins to resemble that of today. The final movement, starlight to enlightenment, encompasses man’s theories and answers about the universe and the possible discoveries awaiting the telescope lens as it probes the great beyond.

“The main goal Pierre Schwob and I have is for those listening to the music and observing the video to come away with a better understanding of the universe and our Earth,” Gasser says. “We want them to achieve a sense of slow wonder and appreciation of all things scientific and to develop a strong connection to our environment.”