Adler Planetarium shows '3-D Universe: A Symphony'
There is incredible beauty to be had when two worlds collide. So it is when the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s 1874 “Pictures at an Exhibition” plays during a 3-D video suite of spectacular photos from space.
Titled 3-D Universe: A Symphony, the breathtaking 35-minute presentation of art and music is playing at The Adler Planetarium, where it honors 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. This year marks the 400 year anniversary since Galileo first used a telescope to explore the skies.
Many never-before-seen photographs used in the film were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope and other telescopes stationed around the world. The superb sound system, coupled with the gorgeously textured 3-D photos, allows viewers to fly through starry skies, hover close to pink and blue interstellar clouds, witness spiraling galactic arms, view colliding galaxies and peer into dark holes.
Photographs twirl, enlarge and multiply in time to Mussorgsky’s famous 10-movement piano suite. It is a sensory experience you don’t want to miss.
Dr. Jose Francisco Salgado, an Adler astronomer and artist, chose the images for the video.
The Adler Planetarium was American’s first planetarium, founded in 1930 by Max Adler, a local business leader. Located on The Museum Campus on the shore of Lake Michigan, it continues to be a leader in science education.
“Pictures at an Exhibition” is considered Mussorgsky’s greatest solo piano composition.
Posted on Apr 12, 2011 by Lori Rotenberk
