Body of the Moon - Desmond Earley

Commissioned by All Classical Portland radio network to mark the occasion of the total solar eclipse in 2017, Body of the Moon was first recorded by Erick Vallé (vocal solo), Nancy Ives (violoncello), and Chris Whyte (percussion) with Resonance Ensemble, directed by Katherine FitzGibbon.

The phenomenon of the eclipse is represented by the lyrical cello line as the choir gives voice to the words of Galileo Galilei (1564- 1642): ‘Vedere il corpo della luna/Behold the body of the moon!’ The bass drum represents the vastness of our solar system, and a lone vocal improvisation speaks to the personal experience of this magical moment. Galileo’s other phrase, ‘we had perpetual twilight and never darkness’, is a poetic description of experiencing the eerie phenomenon of a total solar eclipse.

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