Our Precious Planet
© Grégoire Pont
Celebrating Nature
‘The wizardry artist knows exactly when to emphasise a drum or cymbal blow with an image, as if the instruments were creating the music in real-time... The animated pictures never overpower the shimmering palette of Ravel's masterpiece; on the contrary they enrich it’
Grégoire Pont's exquisite live animations celebrate the beauty and wonder of Nature, accompanying a full symphony orchestra in music by modern composers, inspiring young audiences to engage in protecting the environment.
Using a unique technique for drawing animations to the music in real time, Pont combines innovative technology with age-old draughtsman’s skills, his illustrations coming to life alongside powerful music of our time in a choreography of sound and colour
The performance is designed for families and 7 to 11 year olds, focusing on the beauty of nature and a positive message about protecting its future, in a performance that lasts approximately 70 minutes without an interval.
Our Precious Planet was first performed in 2023 with BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dalia Stasevska, and was a commission by the Barbican Centre.
Music includes:
Olivier Messiaen – Extract from Les offrandes oubliées
Einojuhani Rautavaara – ‘Swans migrating’ from Cantus Arcticus: Concerto For Birds and Orchestra
Kaija Saariaho – ‘Terrestre l’oiseau dansant’ from L’Aile du songe
Dani Howard – Argentum
Anna Meredith – Nautilus
John Adams – ‘Panic’ from Doctor Atomic Symphony
Benjamin Britten – ‘Storm’ from Four Sea Interludes
Alberto Ginastera – ‘Danza del trigo’ from Estancia
‘My live animations show the wonders of creation as well as the dangerous ride of human progress. It is an opportunity for children to take a thrilling ride through the natural world they know and love while experiencing a live orchestra. In the end the message is one of hope’
