Log in
The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres

The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres

2009 · 79 min · Music

New and imaginative ways of programming Baroque repertoire that was never intended for the modern concert or CD formats are always welcome and Tafelmusik have found a corker here. Inspired by the 400th anniversary of Galileo first using his telescope, the Canadian orchestra's double-bassist Alison McKay has devised an hour-long 'Harmony of the Spheres' sequence which unpretentiously harnesses music by several Baroque greats with readings from Shakespeare, Ovid, Kepler and Galileo, and descriptions of lsaac Newton and the opulent Festival of the Planets mounted for a Dresden royal wedding in 1719. The whole is given in front of a suspended circle on to which astronomical images are projected, and the performers move around on a similarly patterned floor, playing from memory, intermingling and reforming (almost everyone gets a solo) amid changing lighting effects.

Directed by Mike Downie

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Stingray Classica Amazon Channel

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 19m together

The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres

The Secret Path

Both from Mike Downie.

More from Mike DownieSee all →

The Tragically Hip: No Dress RehearsalThe Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal · 2024
The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal
★ 8.32024
SeriesDocumentary
A love story between a band and the country they call home. Canadian rock'n'roll legends The Tragically Hip share the story of their unique, complicated and wildly successful musical brotherhood. 40-years of hits and misses, friendship and frustration, triumph and tragedy. Featuring never-before-seen performances, unreleased music and unprecedented access to The Hip.
Finding the Secret PathFinding the Secret Path · 2018
Finding the Secret Path
★ 8.02018
MovieDocumentary
"Secret Path” is the award winning multi-media project that seamlessly blends Gord Downie's poetry and music with Jeff Lemire's graphic novel. It tells the wrenching and all too common story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old boy who died in 1966 after running away from the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario. Finding the Secret Path is an intimate concert film and documentary that captures Gord Downie, behind the scenes, as he prepares for an emotional and historic Secret Path performance, before the entire Wenjack family, at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, interwoven with footage from the original animated film.
Shades of SurvivalShades of Survival · 2025
Shades of Survival
★ 8.02025
MovieDocumentary
Set against the backdrop of three continents, "Shades of Survival" explores the lives of Black women in Africa, the UK, and the USA who have battled breast cancer. With stunning camera work and deeply personal interviews, the film explores the inequities that persist in their fight-across every step of their journey. The documentary offers a stark look at the health care systems that too often fail Black women, while celebrating the courage of those who advocate for change. Blending personal stories, expert insights, and creative performance, "Shades of Survival" is a powerful narrative of survival, community, and the ongoing struggle for health care equity.
The Nature of ThingsThe Nature of Things · 1960
The Nature of Things
★ 7.21960
SeriesDocumentary
The Nature of Things is a Canadian television series of documentary programs. It debuted on CBC Television on November 6, 1960. Many of the programs document nature and the effect that humans have on it. The program was one of the first to explore environmental issues, such as clear-cut logging. The series is named after an epic poem by Roman philosopher Lucretius: "Dē Rērum Nātūrā" — On the Nature of Things.
The Secret PathThe Secret Path · 2016
The Secret Path
★ 6.02016
MovieMusicAnimation
The Secret Path is an animated film adaptation of Gord Downie's album and Jeff Lemire's graphic novel. Working with Downie's poetry and music, Lemire has created a powerful visual representation of the life of Chanie Wenjack.
Dragons' DenDragons' Den · 2006
Dragons' Den
★ 5.72006
SeriesReality
Canadian version of the reality show in which budding entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hopes of securing business financing.
Die Ozeane - Geheimnisse der WeltmeereDie Ozeane - Geheimnisse der Weltmeere · 2010
Die Ozeane - Geheimnisse der Weltmeere
★ 4.02010
SeriesDocumentary
A Beautiful ThingA Beautiful Thing · 2026
A Beautiful Thing
2026
Movie
A short film including behind-the-scenes Tragically Hip tour footage and notable Canadians sharing what the band means to them.
HeksenketelHeksenketel · 1994
Heksenketel
1994
MovieMusic
The Tragically Hip's '93 tour, Another Roadside Attraction, was originally called 'Heksenketel', or witches' cauldron. Which is apt, since bands on tour eventually come under some sort of spell. Reality is suspended. Into this cauldron we have added a sea of steaming fans, some vintage Hip performances and a tour bus on its last trip across the country.
La croisière COVIDLa croisière COVID · 2020
La croisière COVID
2020
MovieDocumentary
Nuts About SquirrelsNuts About Squirrels · 2022
Nuts About Squirrels
2022
MovieDocumentary
Some people love squirrels others see them as pests and glorified rats but we can all agree that the characterful rodents are speedy quirky exceptional climbers and go crazy for nuts.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter