Gaia x BBC Concert Orchestra: Sounds of the Earth

**Under the glow of Luke Jerram’s replica of our planet, hear a concert of heavenly works for strings, from Hildur Guðnadóttir to Vaughan Williams.**

Jerram’s stunning sculpture of the Earth, Gaia, floats above the orchestra as they perform timeless music on our Royal Festival Hall stage, inviting us to reflect on our relationship with our planet and the universe beyond.

Measuring seven metres in diameter and created using detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface, Gaia allows us to experience what’s known as the ‘overview effect’: that feeling of utter awe astronauts have said they feel when viewing Earth from space.

The scene is set for tonight’s concert with a reflective work by Vaughan Williams, which opens with solemn chords before expanding into soaring strings. We skip forward in time for two atmospheric, layered works by Oscar-winning composer and cellist Hildur Guðnadóttir.

Gaia bathes in musical light as we hear contemporary composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s Sun Triptych, composed in 2007. The shimmering ‘Dawn’ builds to a glorious ‘Day’, alive with movement and warmth, and then ‘Dusk’ settles in, meditative and mellifluous.

Speaking directly to the heart, Barber’s transcendent Adagio for Strings is a staple in film soundtracks, thanks to its raw emotional power. And in Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, bells and layers of descending strings draw the concert to a dramatic close.

*The ticket price includes a £2 venue restoration levy.*

Presented by Southbank Centre.

For ages 7+. Under-12s must be accompanied by an adult on our site.