Altered state
In January, a million miles from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope arrived at the point from which it now gazes out into the origins of the universe. Impatient astronomers might want to contact Gerald Barry, who has finished a new orchestral piece, What the Webb Telescope Saw, months before the first images arrive back on Earth. ‘It’s planets and galaxies in two-part counterpoint,’ he says frankly from his home in Dublin. NASA’s meticulous construction of supercomputers and gold-plated mirrors has become an obsession, he explains. But the charm of Barry’s character – and his music – owes something to the fact that you can never tell quite how serious he’s being. ‘The telescope can see the whole universe so I’m sure two-part counterpoint will be in there,’ he continues. ‘I’ll bet you £50!’
One of and , both of which light a fire under an anarchic original. But from vitreous piano miniatures to hallucinogenic orchestral landscapes and touching chamber works, his music never feels far from the stage.
