Work commissioned in 2016 by the UNAM Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

In 1610 Galileo was experimenting with his brand-new telescope. The novel device had been used for spying and navigation, but no one had pointed it at the sky. Then, when he focused his lens on Jupiter, he discovered four little dots lined up. At first, he thought they were stars, until he noticed that their daily location was moving in the opposite direction. This anomaly increased his interest, since in addition to changing their positions, they were following Jupiter's transit through the zodiac. He finally concluded that they were not stars but moons orbiting the planet, now known as: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.

 

Io's close orbit causes strong gravitational tides that heat its interior, causing the most tectonic activity in the solar system. Europa is covered by a thick layer of ice, which, tortured by Jovian gravity, cracks, propelling geysers emanating from the deep interior ocean. Ganymede, the largest of all, has its own magnetic field, evidence of molten iron spinning in its core. Callisto, which rotates once per orbit, shows the same face to the planet and has a back full of craters from countless bodies attracted by the planetary giant.

 

Io, Europa and Ganymede rotate in orbital resonance: for each turn of the first, the second makes two and the third makes four. This relationship can be translated into music as intervals, harmonics and rhythms.

 

The basic materials were obtained from the orbital periods, while the character of the subjects was inspired by the active volcanism of Io, the icy geysers of Europa, the liquid core of Ganymede and the shocked backside of Callisto.