Might
Amanda Lee Falkenberg's The Moons Symphony be a classical crossover counterpart to
Gustav Holst's The Planets? Listeners can decide for themselves; album buyers have voted in the affirmative, placing this release on the classical best-seller charts in the autumn of 2022. It certainly does not lack ambition.
Falkenberg became fascinated by the science and the lore surrounding the moons of our solar system, including the Earth's own, wrote texts about them, set those for chorus and orchestra, penned a prose reflection on the whole thing, recruited actual NASA astronaut Nicole Stott to read those at the end, and, to boot, added a creditable reading of
Debussy's Clair de lune with herself on the piano.
Falkenberg has a background in film music, and that is quite evident in the big settings here. One might expect a reflective or romantic tone when it comes to moons, but this is music designed to grab the listener's attention. It also happens to be right up the alley of conductor
Marin Alsop, leading the
London Symphony Orchestra and the
London Voices; she builds a solid structure and keeps it moving along effectively. This recording occupies an interesting British space that resides firmly in the crossover sphere but does not foreclose artistic reach. ~ James Manheim