Intrigue

Fifty voices. Twelve countries. One question.

From the Australian outback to the San Juan Archipelago, from South India to the Swiss Alps- the question is asked of scientists, artists, and traditional elders: "What is the Great Song for you?" Infused with music from around the world, fifty remarkable responses cross borders of culture, faith, arts and science, weaving a multi-faceted, timeless tapestry- a cinematic testament to our common spirit.

In a series of montages accompanied by natural imagery and music, a diverse cast from around the world delivers their unique responses to the perennial question, 'What is the Great Song for you?'

Opening montage: The sound of cowbells arises from a dusky blue-hued meadow. Title appears, In Search of the Great Song (2016). A female voice begins singing in Swiss dialect. Interspersed with images of a grazing cow, text description reads, 'The oldest Swiss song, Vreneli ab em Guggisberg, provoked such homesickness when heard that Swiss mercenaries in foreign lands were forbidden to sing the song under penalty of death.' The singer, visual artist Muriel Kuoppala, muses on the ancient origins of song and story, and shares how she uses music whenever she paints- in particular Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Requiem. The Requiem is heard along with images of Kuoppals's art. She further identifies the music of whales as her choice for the Great Song. As segment ends, the image of gentle waves lapping upon the shore is accompanied by music interwoven with the haunting, ethereal song of a humpback whale.

Whale Song montage: Alex Shapiro, whose composition Below provides the soundtrack for this segment, is a composer from San Juan Island, Washington. She refers to translating the experience of everything around her into music- and how the most touching sound she'd ever heard was the song of a humpback whale. Chip Richards, cetacean activist, describes the nature of whale song, how 'they have been singing a song together in their form for fifty million years', and how this song may help serve as a model for humanity to reconnect. A rookery of albatross contribute their sounds (filmed in a Kauai bird sanctuary).

Australian montage: Segment opens with outback nature footage accompanied by the singing voice of Aboriginal elder Pop Harry (no image) . The spoken voice of cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien(no image) describes how the indigenous peoples of the world preserve the oldest songs on the planet. Pop Mybarnj is seen perched on the ledge of a cave; he speaks of the Great Song as 'underlying everything, but it is still ongoing- now it's time to reconnect with that Song, and experience the Dreamtime without having to die to find it.' The sound of a didgeridoo, performed by Aboriginal ceremonial artist Pop Lewis Walker, fades into the voice of Aboriginal elder Uncle Bob Randall describing the Great Song as the song of nature itself, and how 'we each have a responsibility of caring for all creation.'

African montage: Slow-pan of jungle is accompanied by Zimbabwe recording artists Insingizi, who provide both prelude and postlude music for an interview with Zimbabwe medicine man, Mandaza Augustine Kandemwa. His message includes the struggle of his people to regain sovereignty of their land, their alliance with other disenfranchised countries of the world, and a prayer of gratitude for all.

Greenland montage: Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq, a shaman elder from Greenland, accompanies his singing on traditional drum interwoven with his spoken description of the inherent nature of the Great Song- 'The Great Song is around you for every breath you take', its expression through the living earth- 'Remember when the mountains were living, that's their voice, in modern language we call them volcanoes', and its audibility through the language of moving ice- 'it's a sound that no one ever heard before'. Images include global view of Greenland and a glacial ice field.

Peruvian montage: Opening with a ceremonial lighting of white sage, Tito la Rosa, a multi-instrumental recording artist and shaman, offers the viewpoint of his tradition (in Spanish with English subtitles). Accompanying his spoken words on guitar, flute, clay water vessel, Condor feather pan pipe and conch, he responds with "There is no great song, there is no small song- everything is simply song", and proceeds to name the many different kinds of songs in his culture. As this segment closes, Tito's conch-shell merges with yodelling in the next segment.

Swiss montage: Silvester Klausen are villagers enacting a centuries-old tradition, held annually in the Appenzell region of Switzerland. In this segment, which opens upon a mist-shrouded valley, diverse groups of elaborately masked and costumed men are shown accompanied by a soundtrack of their choral yodelling and bell-ringing. Their bells fade-out behind ritual Swiss singer Karin Jana Beck, shown building an oven fire in her yurt as she describes her love for soulful songs around the world, and how yodelling brings people together. This segment closes with Jana Beck yodelling on a Winterthur city street together with her community.

Wales montage: Opening with the Welsh flag fluttering in the breeze and interspersed with images of the Welsh countryside, Paul Mealor, Welsh composer and conductor, describes Wales as 'the land of song' over a background recording of his choral piece, Ubi Caritas, performed by Voces8, interspersed with images of Mealor conducting his own choir in a Welsh cathedral. This sequence is followed by a reference to JRR Tolkien's 'original song' mythology with an image of Middle Earth.

India/Hindu/Sikh montage: Opening with time-lapse photography of mist-shrouded, snow-crested mountains accompanied by tambura, flute and mantric chant, orange-robed Paramacharya Palaniswami, editor of Hinduism Today, speaks of his belief that the whole world was created by sound- 'It's from sound, and not light, that all things come into the cosmos'. He further describes his own experience of hearing the inner song while walking about his monastery. Chant artist Deva Premal then tells her experience of singing with her parents as a child before going to bed at night. This leads into a soundtrack of her singing the Gayatri Mantra against a backdrop of mountain lake images. Pujya Deepakbhai Desai encourages us to live our life as a song, without harming anyone in the process; Venezuelan singer Ilan Chester's Vedic chant, coupled with the cry of birds, arises amidst images of jungle and Hindu statuary. Biotech administrator Lalita Sivaji testifies to the power of a mothers lullaby, followed by Sanjram Premjit's poolside spontaneous singing. Sikh elder Bhai Mohinder Singh asserts that 'There is a Great Song, a personification of compassion, mercy and love- and That Song is always singing'.

Buddhist montage: Sociologist Prof. Renuka Singh describes the four Noble Truths of Buddhism as a basis for her sense that 'the greatest song is combining personal awakening with world service'. Music from film composer Gary Malkin (whose orchestral soundtracks accompany the next two montages as well) opens with imagery of windblown grasses, leading into the spoken voice of Vietnamese monk and poet, Thich Nhát Hanh (no image) He refers to the awakening power of the bell- 'May the sound of this bell penetrate deep into the cosmos'. This sequence fades into silent images of a bell and a monk sitting in meditation, prelude to Zen practitioners Jeff Tipp and Koshin, seen in their zendo, chanting a traditional evening bell chant and describing the power of chant within their community. As this segment concludes, the Gyuto Monks of Tibet are heard chanting, which is then described by their spokesperson as 'the teachings of the Buddha- love and compassion for all'. (Filmed at the 2009 Parliament of World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia.)

Taoist montage: An evocative soundtrack of traditional Chinese instrumentation opens with image of waterfall spray as Taoist master Chungliang Al Huang sings a song from the Chinese poet Bai Juyi, a song which 'I might sing to my granddaughter'. Chungliang then speaks of the Great Song as a universal phenomenon. 'When we sing from our deep sense of who we are, then it becomes epical, it becomes great'. This segment closes as he glides with dance-like motion through an arbor, merging into images of cloud-shrouded mountains.

Jewish montage: Opening with an instrumental version of the traditional Jewish hymn, Heneh MaTov, Irwin Kula tells a tale of 600,000 songs delivered at Mount Sinai, then offers his Niggun, a Jewish prayer-song without words, together with imagery of mountain clouds. California Poet Laureate Dana Gioia describes the origin of the world as understood in Jewish mysticism, 'God created the world with a single Word, a single Song- and everything which exists participates in that single Word'.

Jewish/Sufi montage: Beginning with the sound of an interfaith chant, 'Shalom, Salam, Hu Hu' , Jerusalem Peacemakers Shiekh Abdul Aziz Bukhari and Eliyahu McLean speak of the peacemaking power of shared chant and movement to 'polish the mirror of the heart' for both Arabs and Jews. This segment closes with a traditional peace benediction from both of them.

Christian montage: This segment opens to a view of prayer candles and worshippers in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Tallinn, Estonia. Accompanied by a choir singing off-camera, the scene transitions to the sky-blue domed ceiling and chanting of Priest Juvenalis, singing the liturgy. The sequence is followed by a performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Vespers by Solothurner Vokalisten and Bern Chor21 in Switzerland. Reflections from conductor Patrick Oetterli, 'This music contains everything', and soloist Jane Tiik on the effect of singing this composition intersperse with footage of the choir and church setting 'It always brings tears in my eyes- like a journey to a different world.'

As the Vespers ends, we transition to the Italian countryside and the Le Celle monastery, where monk/author David Steindl-Rast embraces the idea of the Great Song as a universal experience- 'There is really only one song, and it's the Great Song, it's the cosmic song.' He speaks of St. Francis as an example of the love of God overflowing through song. Against a backdrop of images of Assisi and the Umbrian valley, accompanied by a Chanticleer recording of Giovanni Palestrina's Sanctus, Steindl-Rast concludes by reciting two of Rainer Maria Rilke's poems, including these references to the thematic term, '...but the Great Song above the Earth hallows and celebrates it all', 'and I still do not know- am I a falcon, a storm, or the Great Song.'

Music of the Spheres montage: The segment opens on a waterfall, accompanied by a soundtrack of choral voices. Text describes how the background music (entitled Higher) was composed by ALS-stricken musician Jason Becker, conveyed through his eye movements alone via computer. Text from Becker closes the segment- 'I draw courage from life and all its infinite possiblities'- As the music continues, business activist Rinaldo Brutoco speaks about the Music of the Spheres, followed by text regarding the historical origin of that concept by Pythagoras and Kepler against a backdrop of NASA Earth imagery. Accompanied by a filmed performance of his multi-guitar soundtrack, Crossings, Swiss mathematician/musician Stephan Thelen offers his interpretation of the Great Song, including a reference to 'a kind of noise that echoes the creation of our universe'. A NASA Voyager recording of sounds from Interstellar space is heard against a backdrop of Hubble images.

Mythology montage: Illustrated by visuals of Greek statuary of Apollo, god of music, the myth of Orpheus and transformative effect of his music is told through text accompanied by a soundtrack of Michael Levy's ancient Grecian lyre.

Spirit/Science montage: Belgian economist Bernard A. Lietaer and quantum physicist Amit Goswami each refer to an appreciation for the metaphor of the 'Great Song'. Against a chorus of cicadas, opening with an image of the insect, American spiritual teacher Gangaji describes the Great Song as 'a love song available to all of us'. Waterfall imagery follows as Nobel Laureate Richard Ernst asserts we are all part of this Great Song- It's a continuity of Spirit in life through the various generations, coming from ancient time and passing into the future'.Accompanied by a minimalist piano score, German cultural anthropologist Hortense Anwari offers her viewpoint that the Great Song is in the silence and expressed through mystical poetry. 'It brings me to my deeper self- it's better not to speak about it'. Introduced by a guitar/cello instrumental with snowy river imagery, Swiss psychologist Rolf Edelman offers the notion that the Great Song 'is trapped inside our body.'

Arts montage: Standing beside a tree-lined fence, with birds singing in the background, poet David Whyte recites Sonnet 29 by William Shakespeare as a way of conveying his awareness of the Great Song as essential to all humanity- 'like to the lark at break of day ascending from sullen earth, sings hymns at heaven's gate', followed by speaking of his experience that 'you only have to articulate the mode of your exile, and as soon as you've sung it or said it, you're on your way back home'.

The first notes of Johann Sebastian Bach's Sinfonia No. 5 in E flat Major open the next segment, featuring Canadian concert pianist Angela Hewitt in her studio-home on Lake Trasimeno, Italy. She speaks about her background in music since early childhood and how music lives in all of us, in every child; when referring to Bach's music inspired by his faith, a short excerpt from the Christmas Oratorio is played. Following the last piano chord of the Sinfonia, as Hewitt's hands move slowly from the keyboard, a long bowed cello note is heard. Concert cellist Michael Fitzpatrick is seen and heard performing his Invocation for World Peace during a Library of Congress interview. He speaks of how the Great Song is a re-occurring global phenomenon- 'once in every generation it announces itself- everyone's waiting for the Great Song to hit the planet again...the search for the Great Song is to find the songlines of our time connected with the songlines of all time', and also of his experience meeting the Dalai Lama in music. Footage of their being together, including a stage performance on the US Capitol lawn, accompanies this segment. Philosopher Joseph Prabhu acknowledges the Great Song is part of our history, and poses the question, "What is our contribution?"

The following segment features National Medal of Arts recipient Morten Lauridsen, the most-performed living American choral composer, filmed at his retreat in the San Juan Islands. We first see him floating in a dinghy on the open water, then poring over poetry through the reflected light of his cabin window. He speaks of the creative process, 'and then it hits you like a thunderbolt and you have to drop everything and go for it- that's one of the great moments for any creative artist, when you are absolutely consumed by a desire to create because you have been sparked by something', how the creative force can express through so many different forms of art, and his own wish 'to leave something meaningful behind, which stands the test of time'. Accompanying his interview are three of his choral works- the Madrigali, (performed by Con Anima), plus Nocturnes and The Rose Cycle (performed by The Singers/Minnesota Choral Artists). Island imagery from the award-winning 2012 Song Without Borders film, Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen (2012) is woven throughout this segment.

Closing montage: Author Gary Zukav speaks of the Great Song as an experience rather than an understanding, transitioning into mountain and water imagery accompanied by piano/orchestra soundtrack, Zukav speaks further- 'It's above us, it's below us, whatever you hear, whatever you think, whatever you say, whatever you experience' - followed by his wife, Linda Francis, sharing of her experience of the Great Song in nature. He closes by asking the viewer, 'How are you going to live your life expressing this Great Song?'; Zukav's words close with the film summation text- 'The mystery of the Great Song remains both personal and universal, expressing itself through every living being- including you.'

Credits: A montage of speakers faces is followed by mountain imagery, accompanied by Edward Elgar's Lux Aeterna (performed by Voces8. During closing credits, Ola Gjeilo's Ubi Caritas (also performed by Voces8) leads into Gary Malkin's Into the Majesty. The final image is of a slow-motion hawk crossing the screen/sky. An 'In Memoriam' slide lists the names of three interviewees who are now deceased- Angeles Arrien, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bukhari, and Uncle Bob Randall. The text of a Native American teaching closes the film: 'Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide...sing your death song and die like a hero going home.' -Tecumseh, Shawnee