Orion

Inspired by the challenge to create a work for a world audience on the occasion of the Athens Cultural Olympiad in Summer 2004, Philip Glass conceived a new evening-length work that contemplates the Earth’s relationship to the constellations as interpreted by the world’s many cultures.

Conceived in ten movements, the work features the Philip Glass Ensemble in collaboration with seven of the world’s most esteemed composer/performers who will perform live with the Philip Glass Ensemble. Each guest composer was chosen for their unique mastery of a global musical tradition and worked in close collaboration with Philip Glass to incorporate their individual perspective into the composition. Guest collaborators include Australian didgeridoo master, Mark Atkins; West African Griot Foday Musa Suso Indian composer and sitar master Ravi Shankar who composed a work with Philip to be performed by Kartik Seshadri; Nova Scotian fiddler Ashley MacIssac Brazil’s UAKTI ; pipa virtuoso Wu Man of China; and contemporary Greek vocalist Eleftheria Arvanitaki