A creation of great beauty is often inspired by the simplest of entities. And an idea, channeled through the right artistic components, can result in a collaborative effort of extraordinary proportions.
This weekend, the product of such a collaboration is unveiled at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in the form of a production titled Frans Lanting?s “LIFE: A Journey Through Time.”
Program notes for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra offering call the performance, making its East Coast premiere in Baltimore, “a multimedia work that merges art, science, photography and music to present a lyrical interpretation of the evolution of life on earth.”
Six years in the making, “LIFE: A Journey Through Time” had its genesis in the works of award-winning National Geographic photographer Frans Lanting. Over years of working on every continent, including Antarctica, Lanting amassed hundreds of life images that he categorized as an exploration of the basic elements of our world ? earth, air, fire, water and space. From there, the collection illustrates, asAlex Chadwick of National Public Radio noted, “how life has developed into an irresistible force that affects the entire world.”
Enter into the picture composer Philip Glass, a Baltimore native and a pioneer of minimalist music who has been credited with bringing art and music to the public.
When Glass saw Lanting?s images, he agreed to work with Marin Alsop, music director of the Cabrillo Music Festival in Santa Cruz, Calif., and now music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The two provided an hourlong musical score for the outstanding images, with editing assistance from Lanting.
“The way I created and edited the images isn?t that different from the way that a composer thinks about music,” Lanting said. “I look for key images and key information to tell the story of life on earth.”
In the production, the key images are projected onto an enormous screen, suspended above the full orchestra.
IF YOU GO
BSO Explorer Series “LIFE: A Journey Through Time”
» Venue: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore
» Times: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday
» Tickets: $25 to $78
» More info: 410-783-8000, or visit baltimoresymphony.org
