Alan Hovhaness’s ”Star Dawn”

What connects Dante's 14th century Paradiso, an early 20th century science fiction novel, and a 13-minute "symphony" for concert band written in the 1980s? It may be surprising but the answer is that they all involve a story where a human travels to Mars and finds it not harsh and warlike but beautiful and awe-inspiring. Like Dante and C. S. Lewis, composer Alan Hovhaness found an incredible source of spiritual inspiration from outer space. He made it his mission to reawaken humanity's connection to spirituality and nature by inspiring a sense of wonder, and his piece "Star Dawn" is part of that effort. In this episode we discuss a wide range of connected issues from the history of ideas about colonizing Mars to the questions of whether basic elements of Western music are the best tools for inspiring all of humanity.

 

References

"Star Dawn" recording directed by Keith Brion

Dante Alighieri, "Paradiso" translated by John D. Sinclair

Sylvia Engdahl, "The Planet Girded Suns"

C. S. Lewis, "Out of the Silent Planet"