<<  -- 2 --  Kelly Ferjutz    MUSIC IN THE SPACING OF THE SPHERES

Fast forward to summer of 2005, and with Hugh Wolff conducting Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra and The Planets with film and updated narration again by Dr Krauss, Blossom experienced its largest-ever orchestral audience. (Blossom also features rock concerts, etc, during the summer months.)

Of course, Dr Krauss was singularly suited to provide such a narration, as he's long been intrigued by the connection between physics and music, following in the path of Pythagorus in the Music of the Spheres. The Greeks thought that the rotation of the planets created musical notes. 'There is geometry in the humming of the strings ... there is music in the spacing of the spheres.' And why not?

He'd done other narrations or commentary about musical composition and performance in a lecture at Cleveland's Music School Settlement for a performance by the Kronos Quartet. He says he's 'the least musical one in his family' although both his wife and daughter are musicians. His aim is to build the connection between science and the arts, to combine the best of both worlds. In fact, he turned around during the musical portions of the program at Severance to watch either the musicians or the film showing overhead, because 'he wanted to be more a part of it'. He had been diligent about using his words to connect the images to the music, and the music to the science.

Dr Krauss said he did feel a very special reaction to the music while on-stage, and remembers thinking to himself, during the Neptune segment 'This is a moment so rare, I must remember this.' Of course, sitting onstage during a concert and being surrounded by the musicians in the orchestra was also 'a tremendous experience'. He'd be very happy to do more of these narrations. He's a gifted writer who's published several books, the most notable being The Physics of Star Trek, a national bestseller.

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