The Music of the Spheres

THE MUSIC OF THE SPHERES for piano, Op. 86, ca 13-15'. The cycle was written in June and July 1995 in Keele, Staffordshire. This is a kind of musical study of the geometric aspect of the circle. Melodic and harmonic materials are obtained by equal division of the radiuses of circles of different diameters by perpendicular lines dividing the circumference into segments of different lengths. The musical modes produced in this way form the sound spectrum of each piece. Three movements: 1. Circles, 2. Wheels, and 3. The Music of the Spheres, are three different ways of musical treatment of the geometry of a circle. The first and last parts have the same sound spectrum, forming a kind of multi-coloured "musical rainbow." The second movement is based on the musical modes created by the rotational movement of circles of different sizes. (See examples at the end of the score). The premiere of the work took place on April 11, 1996 at the Union of Composers in Moscow, played by Ivan Sokolov. In England, it was first performed in 1997 at the Keele University by Michaela Connolly.