Format

The Conscious Sky is a concert length performance, duration approx. 70 minutes. It is scored for 6 mic’ed singers (SSATBB), 2 percussionists playing eastern percussion, 4:1 sound track and a film incorporating the amazing images from the Hubble space telescope. It consists of 8 different pieces:

The Conscious Sky – vocal ensemble, percussion, soundtrack
Heaven and Earth – vocal ensemble, percussion, soundtrack
Chaitanya – vocal ensemble, percussion, soundtrack
The Earth Sings – vocal ensemble, percussion, soundtrack
Bhur Bhuvah Svaha – vocal ensemble
Jalaja – vocal ensemble, percussion,
Anima – vocal ensemble, percussion, soundtrack
Deep Space – vocal ensemble, percussion, soundtrack

Apart from some instrument samples, nearly all the sounds on the soundtrack are actual processed recordings of space sounds. In The Earth Sings, all the sounds are recordings of radio emissions of the Earth’s magnetic field, including the sound of the Aurora Borealis. Chaitanyam begins with the sound of the planet Jupiter, and uses as percussion sound the radio emission from the Vela pulsar.

Most texts are ancient Sanskrit words and verse that describe the universe and its concepts. Many Sanskrit texts describe the birth of the universe in terms that would be recognisable by modern quantum physicists. Bhur Bhuvah Svaha, otherwise known as the Gayatri Mantra, is an ancient mantra from the Vedic tradition. It is said to be over 4000 years old.