On Monday, North America will experience a solar eclipse. To get in the spirit, the whole office has been scouring the archives to pick pieces for the perfect Eclipse Playlist. Listen to what we’ve compiled below and check back as we add more selections now thru Monday morning. Any suggestions? Let us know in the comments!
Hoyt Smith: From Gustav Holst’s The Planets, there’s Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Venus. They’ll all be visible, left to right, during totality.
Alan Chapman: The Barber of Seville. When customers come to him, ECLIPSE their hair. Featuring Bugs Bunny, of course.
Gail Eichenthal: Can’t compete with Alan’s celestial pun but how about Debussy’s Clair de Lune and Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.
Robin Pressman: The opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Dianne Nicolini: Cool music from contemporary Brit, Max Richter, On the Nature of Daylight.
Linda Cassidy: Arvo Part’s Tabula Rasa. From “Fratres” to the title track, the entire album will be a perfect pairing with a total solar eclipse, in my humble opinion. Added benefit, you won’t have to change the music for at least an hour and 15 minutes.
Brian Lauritzen: Nielsen: Helios Overture. Here’s music depicting the sun’s journey across the sky. No special glasses needed.
John Van Driel: The planetarium scene from La La Land
Rik Malone: How about this rather silly scene from Offenbach’s supremely silly operetta “The Voyage to the Moon. It was loosely based on Jules Verne’s novel – so loosely that Verne actually sued Offenbach and his librettists!
Hoyt Smith: How about a piece NASA sent to space? Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto #2.
Gail Eichenthal: Vincenzo Bellini’s Vaga Luna che inargenti (Beautiful moon, dappled with silver). A lovely and gentle arietta by Bellini in which the singer addresses the moon. She says it evokes “the language of love”. The moon is asked to deliver a love letter to the singer’s beloved, who is far away.
Gail Eichenthal: Delius: “Song of the Setting Sun” from Songs of Sunset. Another lovely choral selection.
Jeffrey Freyman: Haydn’s Creation. This cues to ‘In the Beginning’ but stay tuned for the Let There Be Light moment at 10:15.
John Van Driel: “Song to the Moon” from Dvorak’s Rusalka. Can’t forget this piece.
Mark Edwards: How about this gem performed by the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra? The first movement from Mendelssohn’s 4th Symphony.
Rik Malone: This duet from Handel’s Solomon: “Will the Sun forget to streak Eastern skies…..” is perfect for the playlist.
Brian Lauritzen: Anna Thorvaldsdottir: “Luminance” from In the Light of Air.Leave it to a composer from the land of 19-hour winter nights to write a piece on themes of light. Leave it to the International Contemporary Ensemble to perform it brilliantly in near darkness, as they do here.
Hoyt Smith: What’s a list without papa Haydn and Il Mondo della Luna.
Dianne Nicolini: And, of course, Haydn’s, Sun String Quartets.
Ray White: Philip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach. I’m sure the old star gazer would be on Newport Beach, Oregon where it will be a complete darkness (first spot on the US) at 9:06 AM on Monday.
What do you think of the list so far? Any suggestions? Let us know in the comments!
