Vantaan Viihdeorkesteri

Lauri Porra, Dalia Stasevska, Vantaan Viihdeorkesteri – Matter and Time (2024)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 50:26 minutes | 535 MB | Genre: Classical Crossover
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Platoon

Revered Finnish composer and musician Lauri Porra has announced his new album Matter & Time, out April 19 th via Platoon. The composition is a musical love letter to the universe, using the words of the celebrated astronomer and writer Esko Valtaoja, as spoken by the actor, author and broadcaster Stephen Fry. It also features lyrical contributions from Paula Vesala.

Scored for narrator, large orchestra, choir, electric ensemble and vocal soloist, Lauri Porra’s Matter&Time takes us on a voyage from the very beginnings of the universe, the birth of the carbon atom and the first murmurings of life on earth. Over its 40 minutes across 10 tracks, we travel through the lifespan of our solar system and 100s of billions of years onward as the universe starts to die. What survives us is the love we have for one another—spelt out in binary ones and zeros. Science and human experience in perfect harmony.

Despite its scientific theme, Porra’s inspirations for his ambitious work were church mass settings, composed centuries ago when the creation story was the accepted explanation of life on earth, and everything was predestined by a supreme deity. “When you listen to music by Bach, you can sense this immense gratitude and love towards God,” says Porra.

“I wasinterested in this, the depth of love and this sacredness, but I wanted my piece to be a testament of love and gratefulness towards the universe.” Porra embarked on a quest to discover whether a person could love the universe with the same intensity of devotion. “Instead of a religious text,” he says, “I started to wonder whether I could use one based on scientific ideas.”

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