University of York Music Press

Sadie writes: "In his 2018 Guardian article about the biopic ‘First Man’. Steve Rose wrote: 'Neil Armstrong made one concise, famous proclamation about the moon landing being a giant leap for mankind. Perhaps, in that transcendent moment, he wanted us to be more than a planet of warring tribes, nation states or political factions.’ Anthem is an increasingly joyful celebration of mankind, combining fragments of twelve national anthems, focusing on those countries that have successfully landed vehicles on the moon. The human element is heard in superimposed recordings of NASA's Apollo commentary and concludes with the singing voices of the quartet."

IN THE STEPS OF APOLLO 3D PRESS RELEASE

This unique new music show exploring the lunar landing and its ongoing legacy will première on Saturday 20th July, 50 years to the day after Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the surface of the moon. Following the première, the show will be distributed to planetaria across the UK.

Sound World and the Planetarium team at We The Curious have created a captivating show combining the best contemporary classical music (specially commissioned from five leading composers) and stunning, bespoke 3D visuals. Five astronomical journeys will take the audience from the observations of ancient stargazers, through the excitement of the 1969 mission to the farthest reaches of the Universe; revealing the beauty of the cosmos and our place within it. As well as being distributed to planetaria across the UK, the show will also be taken to schools and community centres in an STFC funded mobile dome tour.

Anna Henley, Planetarium Developer at We The Curious said:

“Our state-of-the-art Planetarium allows us to visualise the latest astronomical data in a realistic and immersive simulation of the Universe – the perfect environment to explore the legacy of the Moon landings. We’ve made some beautiful sequences that will not only allow you to follow in the footsteps of those early astronauts, but also explore some of the more recent discoveries made by later space probes and telescopes, taking us across our Solar System, the Milky Way galaxy and beyond.”

Julian Leeks, Sound World Director, commented:

“This project has been a fascinating experience for all of the composers. We really needed some very special music for this, music capable of standing alongside the beauty and mystery of the Universe! But we’re fortunate to have some brilliant composers working in the region and everyone has really risen to the challenge.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the quality of the music. The incredible visuals and these great new pieces are a match made in Heaven. We recently attended a preview and it was amazing – a genuinely unique and utterly absorbing experience.”

In The Steps of Apollo is supported by Arts Council England, Ambache Charitable Trust, Foyle Foundation, International Astronomical Union, Science & Technology Facilities Council and University of Bristol.

In The Steps of Apollo will open on 20 July. Tickets cost £14.95/£12.95 concessions per seat for the July 20 50th celebration show, and £9.95/£8.95 concessions for subsequent shows.

To book tickets visit www.wethecurious.org or call the WTC Bookings team on 0117 915 1000 (Monday – Friday 9-5) for more information.

For information on shows at other planetaria or on the STFC tour, please contact Sound World at [email protected] .