The work "Sun Rings" was commissioned by the NASA Art Program to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Voyager 1 launch.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The 9/11 terrorist attacks influenced Terry Riley to add a choir to "Sun Rings" to represent humanity's voice and to incorporate themes of love and compassion, inspired by Alice Walker's mantra "One Earth, one people, one love."
Compositional Technique
Terry Riley's "Sun Rings" incorporates pre-recorded "sounds of space" collected by physicist Donald Gurnett from various spacecraft, including Voyagers 1 and 2.
Recording & Production
The "sounds of space" used in the album were transformed by electro-acoustic composer David Dvorin, who created 'kits' of sound samples for backing tracks and live performance.
Historical Context
Donald Gurnett, a scientist, began capturing sounds in space with a homemade receiver in 1964 and went on to conduct pioneering research in plasma physics, learning about the universe from the sounds it makes.
Performer Biography
Kronos Quartet violinist David Harrington felt a strong connection to Terry Riley, comparing him to Joseph Haydn, the 'founder' of the string quartet form, and was insistent on Riley writing for Kronos.
Composer Biography
Terry Riley, the composer, grew up in the foothills of Tahoe National Forest and was inspired by the ordering of stars into a perfect mandala, which led to his pioneering musical Minimalism.
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