Composer, conductor, Buddhist and model: Inside the restless mind of Eric Whitacre
'It would be Vangelis meets Thomas Tallis,″ he says.
To his surprise, his proposed marriage of electronica and 16th-century vocal music got the thumbs up. Eternity in an Hour debuted at the Royal Albert Hall last year and is poised to make its Australian premiere with Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.
Whitacre is a musical rarity: a popular, highly regarded composer, conductor and performer who straddles the divide between classical and contemporary music.
He has an aura of rock star glamour as crosses his Sydney hotel foyer in black jeans and sweater. With collar-length hair and chiselled good looks – he could be Sting's much younger brother – he looks more the techno band member he once was than a conductor at home on podiums around the globe.
It's the third time he has worked with the Philharmonia's young adult ensemble VOX, who co-commissioned the piece with the Proms and Flemish Radio Choir. Whitacre will perform a range of electronics while conducting the work also scored for choir, piano and cello.
Its title is based on a stanza from William Blake's poem Auguries of Innocence:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
Whitacre first read the poem in his early 20s and admires its eloquent meditation on impermanence and the interconnectedness of all things.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Denzel Washington wishes he had 'prayed more'
Denzel Washington wishes he'd been more active in his faith when he was younger. The 70-year-old actor - who was baptised and obtained a minister license last year - has enjoyed a long and successful career and the only advice he has to offer his younger self is to have been more in contact with God. Asked the advice he'd give a younger Denzel, he told Extra: 'Pray more. That's it. Pray more. That's what I would tell that younger Denzel Washington. Pray more. Get on your knees more.' The Oscar-winning star is currently promoting his new film Highest 2 Lowest - in which he plays a music mogul who is targeted in a ransom plot - and the movie marks his fifth collaboration with Spike Lee, which is always comfortable. He said: 'I don't want to say, 'Just like old times,' but you know, you're back in the saddle. 'He leaves me alone. I don't know what he's doing. And he put together a great team of actors… Wendell [Pierce] and Jeffrey and Michael Potts and myself, and then the young buck A$AP [Rocky], and just let it rip.' Denzel was baptised in a special ceremony at the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ, in New York City's Harlem neighbourhood just a few days before last Christmas. According to New York Post column PageSix, Archbishop Christopher Bryant revealed Denzel said: "In one week I turn 70. It took a while but I'm here. If [God] can do this for me, there's nothing He can't do for you. The sky literally is the limit." The actor's wife Pauletta Washington - with whom he has four adult children - also spoke of her pride in her husband's spiritual achievements, saying: "Forty-six years later, here I'm still standing next to him as only God will have it. "So, I'm very proud of you. You are the head of our house and you have set a great example for our children, who are now adult children who know the difference because we have shown them the difference." After the ceremony, Denzel posed for a picture holding his certificate of baptism and his minister licence - which will allow him to be ordained in the future. The Training Day star previously opened up about his faith in a recent interview with Esquire magazine, admitting he believes it's not "fashionable" to talk about religion in Hollywood. He said: "When you see me, you see the best I could do with what I've been given by my lord and saviour. I'm unafraid. "I don't care what anyone thinks. See, talking about the fear part of it - you can't talk like that and win Oscars. You can't talk like that and party. You can't say that in this town. "I'm free now. It's not talked about in this town. It's not talked about. It's not talked about. It's not fashionable. It's not sexy. But that doesn't mean people in Hollywood don't believe."
West Australian
6 hours ago
- West Australian
Fremantle legend Michael Walters says he embraced larrikin tag to bring out best in Dockers
There are few Fremantle players who could bring a smile to your face like Michael Walters, and the recently retired legend says it was always a key part of his game. The Dockers great and The West Australian columnist appeared on Channel 7's The Front Bar and fittingly explained why it's always important to have a laugh at the footy. 'I've always been one who likes to have fun and just enjoy myself, and I thought if I could rub that off on a few players, that would make them play better,' Walters said. 'Footy is a strenuous job, so if you can have fun on the weekends, those are the best two hours of your week. I kept that away from Ross (Lyon) though!' As the panel went through his playing career, there were just as many highlights of his goal celebrations as there were goals, even revealing how some criticism from the newspaper inspired one. After kicking a goal against Sydney in 2021, Walters turned and feigned writing in a notepad, which he said was in response to some feedback he had received. 'The first one I copped some articles in The West Australian, but I'm a part of them now, so I enjoy it,' he said. 'There was always some thought behind them, and it is something I worked on from time to time.' Walters famously grew up in Midvale alongside fellow draftees Nic Naitanui and Chris Yarran and he revealed who was the best of the trio at the time. 'When I play, I always go back to those times. We tried to keep Nic Nat away from the footy as much as we could,' he said. 'But Chris Yarran was the best of us at that age by a country mile.' While Walters had plenty of accolades to look back on from captaining the Indigenous All Stars to All-Australian honours, Walters said he would trade it all for a flag. 'Looking back on it now, I'm proud of that but as a footy professional, you want that main goal which is the flag,' he said. 'As you come to the end, you do look back on it only, but it's mainly something for the family members.' However, Walters believes this year could end Fremantle's torment in their wait for a maiden flag and give Nat Fyfe a fairytale send-off after he announced his retirement at the end of the season earlier this week. 'I do think they can win it this year,' he said. '[Fyfe] single-handedly put the club on the map, especially early days. He was a superstar, you see what he does on the footy field, he goes hard at it. 'He's an all-time great and someone who was genuinely there for you as a person.'
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Why Sonny always brought the smiles at Fremantle
There are few Fremantle players who could bring a smile to your face like Michael Walters, and the recently retired legend says it was always a key part of his game. The Dockers great and The West Australian columnist appeared on Channel 7's The Front Bar and fittingly explained why it's always important to have a laugh at the footy. 'I've always been one who likes to have fun and just enjoy myself, and I thought if I could rub that off on a few players, that would make them play better,' Walters said. 'Footy is a strenuous job, so if you can have fun on the weekends, those are the best two hours of your week. I kept that away from Ross (Lyon) though!' As the panel went through his playing career, there were just as many highlights of his goal celebrations as there were goals, even revealing how some criticism from the newspaper inspired one. After kicking a goal against Sydney in 2021, Walters turned and feigned writing in a notepad, which he said was in response to some feedback he had received. Michael Walters on The Front Bar Credit: supplied / supplied 'The first one I copped some articles in The West Australian, but I'm a part of them now, so I enjoy it,' he said. 'There was always some thought behind them, and it is something I worked on from time to time.' Walters famously grew up in Midvale alongside fellow draftees Nic Naitanui and Chris Yarran and he revealed who was the best of the trio at the time. 'When I play, I always go back to those times. We tried to keep Nic Nat away from the footy as much as we could,' he said. 'But Chris Yarran was the best of us at that age by a country mile.' While Walters had plenty of accolades to look back on from captaining the Indigenous All Stars to All-Australian honours, Walters said he would trade it all for a flag. Michael Walters of the Dockers shares a moment with Nat Fyfe after retiring Credit: Paul Kane / Getty Images 'Looking back on it now, I'm proud of that but as a footy professional, you want that main goal which is the flag,' he said. 'As you come to the end, you do look back on it only, but it's mainly something for the family members.' However, Walters believes this year could end Fremantle's torment in their wait for a maiden flag and give Nat Fyfe a fairytale send-off after he announced his retirement at the end of the season earlier this week. 'I do think they can win it this year,' he said. '[Fyfe] single-handedly put the club on the map, especially early days. He was a superstar, you see what he does on the footy field, he goes hard at it. 'He's an all-time great and someone who was genuinely there for you as a person.'
