Our Precious Planet
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 at Barbican Centre in 2023 with BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dalia Stasevska, commissioned by Barbican Centre and Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne.
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’
