On Air Now
Early Breakfast with Lucy Coward 4am - 6:30am
28 August 2015, 17:19 | Updated: 6 January 2017, 14:45
What could make music even more beautiful? These majestic giants of the sea. Here are three times whales and classical music met in beautiful harmony.
These intrepid musicians had a whale of a time when they gave a performance at sea and the marine mammals responded to the sound and vibrations produced by the cello. Beluga whales have very specialised sense of hearing and a highly developed auditory cortex (and clearly good taste). Music and the natural world coming together - it's a beautiful thing.
In this astounding video (an ad for an Australian telecommunications firm, but stay with us) a group of orchestral musicians are set adrift on a raft in the middle of the ocean. More used to playing on dry land – and indeed playing to humans – the musicians set themselves the seemingly impossible task of communicating with humpback whales by imitating their song. How do they get on? Have a look…
...And God Created Great Whales is an evocative symphonic poem by American 20th century composer Alan Hovhaness. It features a full orchestra playing alongside recorded whale sounds. Expect asynchronous aleatoricism and gentle portamenti of the giants of the sea.