Nico Muhly brought the trombones, Bryce Dessner the guitars and Sufjan Stevens the ‘finely shaped buttocks’ – and the result was a concept album about outer space via ancient Greece. The trio discuss their voyage into the cosmos In the spring of 2012, at the Barbican Hall in London, Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly and Bryce Dessner performed a new collaborative work they named Planetarium. A song cycle loosely in homage to the solar system, it wanted for little in ambition, featuring seven trombones, a string quartet, guitar, voices, piano, celeste, and an elaborate lighting display that cast a succession of colours against a giant suspended orb. Related: Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, James McAlister: Planetarium review – masters of the universe Continue reading...