2051: A Space Odyssey
for 13 instruments
It's has been over 50 years since the release of Kubrick's seminal film and its cult status is well deserved.
Created in the middle of the 20-century space race, the film predicts that by the year 2001 humans will be comfortable with space
travel and will be ready to trust artificial intelligence with our lives. From the perspective of 2020 we now see that these predictions
did not materialize. The film had no way to anticipate the internet revolution, the development of social media and the effects of social changes.
At the same time, one wonders at the incredible artistry of the film, its cinematography, pacing, and tasteful exploration of the themes of existentialism,
human evolution and technological advancement. In my piece I experiment with the creation of new and unexpected musical form by tying the structure and emotional
development of the new composition directly to the structure and pacing of the famous film.
The original film used preexisting music as its soundtrack - works that were not composed with the intention to be used in the film but were independent musical compositions.
I therefore felt inspired to create a piece that imagines the sound world that could exist on some level as an interpretation of the film.
2051: A Space Odyssey is composed for the Grossman Ensemble. The unique format of working with the ensemble, in which the composer works directly with the musicians over a period of
four months in workshops and rehearsals, offers the possibility to experiment with new sounds and sound production techniques and to develop a truly distinctive, collaborative work.
This experimentation seems to fit perfectly into the very fabric and theme of 2051: A Space Odyssey which has its foundation the idea of the exploration of unknown sound worlds and structures.
Krzysztof Wolek
video recording
Live Video Recording:
December 3, 2021, Chicago
the University of Chicago's Logan Center for the Arts
Grossman Ensemble
conductor: Vimbayi Kaziboni