Credits:

Riley, Terry (1935-)

Description:

Terry Riley's relationship with Kronos SQ already spans four decades, and he has composed as many as 30 works. This Terry Riley composition, "Sun Rings," consisting of 10 "space scapes," was begun in August 2001 and completed in July 2002 at the request of NASA, and was inspired by the sounds of space recorded by space exploration and the Voyager spacecraft. The music is a fusion of live "strings" and "chorus" and pre-recorded "space sounds. The sound inspired by the sound of the solar system became the subject of the theme as a string quartet, as fragments of melodies I sensed. The fusion of the chorus with the space sounds further emphasizes that it is about humans, as it is about reaching out from the earth to the solar system. It's about the Earth and humans as specks in the cosmos, humility to love and appreciate life, and peace," said Terry Riley. This is a very difficult piece for Kronos SQ, and now it is being released on CD. Warner Music Japan