Symphony No. VI
The Blue Marble

I. The Blue Marble
II. Voices in Green
    III. Let There be Life

Final renditions cropped to black overla

Commissioned by the Metropolitan Wind Symphony
Lewis J. Buckley, Music Director, in commemoration of their fiftieth season.
Symphony No. VI premiered with the Metropolitan Winds without film on May 1st, 2022

Music & Film by Julie Giroux in  collaboration with ION CONCERT MEDIA 

The Blue Marble may be performed as the symphony it is, without  ANY multimedia. Every movement can be purchased separately as each one can stands alone.  If you choose to perform it with multimedia, there are several options available that can fit your venue. For instance, the 2nd mvt, Voices in Green, is outstanding with just the audio accompaniment. You will have the option of 1 screen or 3 screen versions.
I will add the link to the video after the film premiere, once ION Concert Media has it available.
 

PROGRAM NOTES

Movement I. The Blue Marble
It is often said that the first full imagine of Earth, “Blue Marble”, taken by Apollo 17 in 1972 was the first full picture of the planet Earth. The picture is actually upside down. It happened sometime between 4:59:05 and 5:08:14 hours after Apollo's launch as they traveled up to 25,000 miles an hour. It is the most reproduced picture in history. It became painstakingly clear to humanity, just how small and vulnerable our one and only home actually is. This movement celebrates that home in a variety of ways; think of it as an abbreviated introduction to planet Earth through music.

Movement II. Voices in Green
I spent hours, simply listening to the recordings of the Amazon jungle by the world renown sound engineer, George Vlad. The recordings were made during the rainy season when humidity is at it's highest and birds are the most vocal. The sounds transport you into the heart of the jungle which feels incredibly, alive. The exotic calls of the birds and the echos from other birds of the same species, the insects, the frogs and the rain; you can practically feel and smell the rain. The rain forest has it's own music. The density of growth with every shade of green, is the backdrop for this beautiful, strange opera.
I knew I wanted to write music to those sounds. I composed Voices in Green with the Amazon jungle sounds playing as my audio backdrop. It influenced every note and phrase. In my mind and heart, I was there, adding my voice to theirs. Voices in Green can be performed strictly on its own. Audio files are available as well if groups would like to perform Voices in Green with Vlad's recordings as a backdrop. Think of this movement as a concert taking place in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest.

Movement III. Let there be Life
Violence, death, murder, birth, & life ; I wanted to capture that commonality with music in the third and final movement. There is a recurring theme throughout the finale.  It evolves, much like life on Earth. It moves through the music, transporting us from one musical setting to the next, ending in a majestic, grandiose way.
The miracle of Earth is life. It is the fragile, silken thread that holds existence together. As with the famous Blue Marble photograph, I hope this symphony reminds people just how frail and beautiful Earth is.
I hope The Blue Marble fills hearts & minds with a renewed loved for our planet,  our one and only home. Earth is the one thing we all have in common. It does not belong to us. We belong to it. It is our only home and we should always treat it as such which every generation leaving it  healthier & happier than the way they found it.