Ravinia 2024 Issue 3

aural ORRERY Although the full conception of The Moons was recorded in 2022 by the London Symphony Orchestra with Alsop conduct- ing, which generated a fair amount of coverage, “this will be a first for me,” Falkenberg notes. “I’ve done a lot of ‘beta testing’ with private audiences in London and with scientists. I have not done a live concert like this. I’m really hoping it resonates with audiences.” For her part, Alsop has been very nurturing of The Moons , discussing the project with Falkenberg several years ago in Vienna before agreeing to lead the recording and, now, to bring it to Ravinia. In the cover story for the March 2022 issue of BBC Music , Alsop called The Moons “a huge undertaking” and even observed that its ambition is “kind of nutty—but I like nutty ideas. “Our siloed-off world can feel a little insular,” Alsop ob- served. “This is a project that breaks through those barriers and into this interdisciplinary place, where I love to live.” Among the work’s remarkable elements is the story of its genesis. Though it seems hard to believe today, before inspi- ration struck her six years ago, the composer had “absolutely zero” schooling in astronomy. “Growing up in South Australia, I just didn’t have the bandwidth for it,” says Falkenberg, a film and TV composer whose standalone works include a 2017 composition titled The Sea Trilogy . Although drawn to the nat- ural world, “I was so busy with dramatic arts, and I did double music for my Year Twelve, I didn’t have room to explore these other things that interested me. Which is why, when I stum- bled across this idea, I knew this was my chance.” RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 13