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World Premiere of Gerald Barry's What the Webb Telescope Sees in Magdeburg

Nov. 21, 2022

Gerald Barry, Composer in residence at Theater Magdeburg, explores the unknown infinity of space in his latest orchestral work. What the Webb Telescope Sees was premiered by the Magdeburgische Philharmonie under the baton of Anna Skryleva on November 17 in the Theater Magdeburg. An additional performance took place on November 18.

As a collaborative project, the space agencies NASA (USA), ESA (Europa), and CSA (Kanada) built the James Webb Space Telescope. It has been floating in space since December 25, 2021. This new instrument is part of a series of space telescopes with which humankind tried to probe the depths of the universe. The search for potentially habitable exoplanets, investigating the emergence of stars, galaxies and black holes and getting evermore closer to answering the universe’s questions.

These questions concern Gerald Barry as well. In What the Webb Telescope Sees, Barry paints a musical picture of humankind’s advancing into the widths of space. Beginning in the low registers, the music climbs higher and higher, exploring the vast reaches of the unknown.

The composer notes, "As a child I had no one to communicate with except my own imagination. I’ve lived my whole life in a sort of altered state, almost as if things were painted too brightly. My music is true to my body in that sense. The way I am isn’t something you set out to be; it’s just the way it goes."

Gerald Barry's From The Intelligence Park was performed on the same program. The work is a rearrangement for chamber orchestra of parts of his 1988 opera of the same name.


The Intelligence Park/Barry/Deane/Houlihan/Almeida Ensemble. 

Additionally, as part of his residency, Barry's opera Alice’s Adventures Under Ground will be performed on May 6, 2023.


To learn more about Gerald Barry, visit: schott-music.com.

Gerald Barry
What the Webb Telescope Sees (2022)
for orchestra
0.2.ca.2.bcl.2.cbsn-4.3.3.1-str
10'

From The Intelligence Park (1986)
for chamber orchestra
2.2.2.2-1.1.1.0-perc(glsp, mar)-pno-str
10'

Alice’s Adventures Under Ground (2014-2015)
an opera
libretto (Eng) prepared by the composer based on the texts by Lewis Carroll
for soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, 2 tenors, baritone and bass
2(2.pic, 2.pic & afl).2(2.ca).1.bcl.2(2.cbsn)-2.2.1.1-timp.3perc-str
70’

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