'The Twin Paradox: A Symphonic Discourse'
A collaborative exploration of art, science, and AI with the Munich Symphony Orchestra
Concept and Inspiration
“The Twin Paradox: A Symphonic Discourse” shows the unique collaboration between the Munich Symphony Orchestra, composers Jakob Haas and Adrian Sieber and Gemini, Google's AI language model. The creation process of this extraordinary project was supported by Google Arts & Culture. The result is an impressive example of how art and artificial intelligence can work in harmony.
As part of the Google Arts & Culture Residency program, composers Jakob Haas and Adrian Sieber have created a commissioned work for the Munich Symphony Orchestra with the AI language model Gemini, which will be presented by Chief Conductor/Artistic Director Joseph Bastian in a world premiere in Munich on 10 October.
By Alfred EisenstaedtLIFE Photo Collection
The project is inspired by Einstein's "Twin Paradox," a thought experiment from the theory of relativity. It explores how one twin, traveling at nearly the speed of light, ages more slowly than the twin who remains on Earth, leading to different perceptions of time.
This idea of time dilation forms the core of the piece's narrative. The music embodies the paradox through contrasting tempos, tonal shifts, and evolving harmonies, mirroring the divergent experiences of the twins.
Munich Symphony OrchestraMunich Symphony Orchestra
Munich Symphony Orchestra and Google's AI collaborated to transform this scientific concept into an artistic journey, showcasing how AI can expand the boundaries of traditional art forms by contributing innovative ideas.
The Creative Process
Gemini served as a valuable resource during the creative process, providing thematic ideas and conceptual prompts. These AI-generated suggestions were then refined and expanded by the human composers, creating a seamless blend of machine inspiration and human creativity.
Composer Jakob HaasMunich Symphony Orchestra
The direction of the project was shaped through a series of creative exchanges. Gemini proposed initial motifs and structures, and developed a cohesive narrative centered around the "Twin Paradox” together with the composer team. Jakob Haas, who led the interaction with the AI, reflects, “Working with Gemini was like tapping into an endless stream of creative sparks. The challenge lay in shaping those sparks into a coherent vision that resonated on an emotional level.”
Composer Jakob Haas in the studioMunich Symphony Orchestra
One notable example involves Jakob prompting the AI to explore how the musical motif could reflect the idea of time dilation. The AI suggested using contrasting tempos and glissandi (sliding between notes) to symbolize the stretching and compressing of time, ideas that were then woven into the composition. It also provided further suggestions as to how the theme of duality should be brought to life in the composition.
Composer Adrian Sieber in the studioMunich Symphony Orchestra
This included, for example, juxtaposing musical order and chaos or dissonance and consonance. Together with Jakob they also developed a kind of musical question-and-answer game between man and machine. There is a passage in the second part of the composition “Duality in Flux” in which the oboe and solo violin alternate as a questioning human voice with a machine-like, almost metallic response from the percussion and brass.
Composer Adrian Sieber in the studioMunich Symphony Orchestra
Adrian Sieber, responsible for translating Gemini’s outputs into the final music score, adds, “The AI provided us with a palette of ideas, but it was our role to mold those ideas into something that could speak through music. Balancing structure and inspiration was key.” The project evolved in stages, with each phase building on the previous one. The AI's contributions served as starting points, while the human composers infused depth and emotional resonance, guiding the final artistic outcome.
Outcomes and Reflections
The "Twin Paradox" narrative served as a metaphor for the entire creative process too. Just as the paradox challenges perceptions of time, this project redefines conventional ideas about creativity, illustrating how technology and art can interact in novel ways.
Excerpt from the notation of ‘The Twin Paradox: A Symphonic Discourse’Munich Symphony Orchestra
'The Twin Paradox: A Symphonic Discourse' demonstrates how AI-enhanced creativity can transform artistic processes. The project showcases how technology, when harmonized with human insight, can push the boundaries of what art can achieve.
