Composer, Stuart Greenbaum writes

90 Minutes Circling the Earth started out as a sketch back in about 1989. That sketch was less than a minute of material and was not specifically for any instrumentation. The sketch, at the time known only as Hymn to Freedom, lay undeveloped and unfinished in the drawer for nearly ten years.

When Symphony Australia commissioned an educational work in 1997 for the Melbourne Symphony, I knew that I wanted to compose something around the idea of space travel and specifically around the image of the Earth as seen from outer space. I had been browsing through a book of photographs showing the Earth as captured from the space shuttle accompanied by short comments made by astronauts from around the globe. Their observations struck me as much as the extraordinary images:

"The earth was small, light blue, and so touchingly alone, our home that must be defended like a holy relic."

Many other astronauts have made similar comments about the absurdity of boundaries between countries and the wars between them. At this early point in planning my orchestral piece, these sentiments reminded me of my early sketch, Hymn to Freedom, and I knew then that this would be the musical material I would finally find a home for.

90 Minutes is the time it takes for a space shuttle to circumnavigate the Earth. 90 Minutes Circling the Earth (Hymn to Freedom) is inspired by observations made by astronauts from various countries regarding what the Earth looks like from outer space.

Of particular interest to me in this piece was the notion of 'sunset' and 'sunrise':

"The sun truly 'comes up like thunder', and it sets just as fast. Each sunrise and sunset lasts only a few seconds. But in that time you see at least eight different bands of color come and go, from a brilliant red to the brightest and deepest blue. And you see sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets every day you're in space. No sunrise or sunset is ever the same."
Joseph Allen - USA

I am fascinated by 'alternative' time-frames and music can be an effective vehicle for bending normal 'Earth' time. Consequently, this piece takes about 5 minutes to represent a 90-minute space flight that visually encompasses a full 24-hour 'Earth' day.