INTERVIEW: Robotics and AI inspire new orchestral piece
Photo: The creative team behind Lim Fantasy re-create the famous Abbey Road album cover. Photo courtesy of Signum / Provided by Crossover Media with permission.
It’s not everyday that a new orchestral piece comes around that has been inspired by robotics, artificial intelligence and the relationship between humans and inanimates, but that’s exactly what listeners can expect when taking in the sounds of Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano & Orchestra. The new work comes courtesy of French composer Manu Martin, who was commissioned to write the piece by Dr. Susan Lim, a pioneer in robotic surgery from Singapore, according to press notes.
Both Lim and Dr. Christina Teenz Tan are billed as creators of the work, and their efforts have now produced a recording of the piece, out now from Signum Records. Included on the album are pianist Tedd Joselson, London Voices and the London Symphony Orchestra, all under the direction of maestro Arthur Fagen.
The album was recorded in 2019 at Abbey Road Studios, and the songs are pulled from another project, a musical named ALAN, which is also the name of the inanimate robot at the center of the narrative. Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Tan about the project. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How did you and Dr. Susan Lim first get the idea for Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano & Orchestra?
It was in 2018 when the ALAN team got together to consider the arrangement of our 15 songs which we had composed for ALAN the musical. Our composer Manu Martin suggested adding strings to four of our original songs, including “Boy Scientist.” The orchestration really swept us off our feet, and we decided to add strings to all our songs. We tested this idea with pianist Tedd Joselson who encouraged us to pursue this. The result was a Fantasy of Companionship for Piano & Orchestra, the orchestration of 15 of our songs !
What was the working relationship like with composer Manu Martin?
We have known Manu for several years even before the orchestration of our music, as he was a musician who performed at the ski resort in Courchevel where our family loves spending winter holidays. Manu was also the keyboard player on our 15 ALAN songs and assisted in the production. We loved working with Manu who is truly musically gifted!
How can art and artists contribute to the definition of what is life and what is non-life?
We feel that as doctors and artists we have delved into this fascinating topic, life vs. non-life, through ALAN the musical and the Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano & Orchestra. Ultimately we want to start a global conversation about how the integration of artificially intelligent robots and sentient inanimates into society will forever change the emotional landscape of human beings. In our musical, this is explored as we follow a young female scientist whose stuffed toy from childhood gains sentience and consciousness and becomes her lifelong companion.
Were you at the recordings at the Abbey Road Studios? What was that like?
Yes, it was a dream-like experience and an incredible honor to record our music in this mecca of studios at Abbey Road. Most special was our recording on [Nov. 19] where musicians and artists from Singapore, New York, India and Australia arrived to record the Fantasy. Having poured our hearts and souls into this project, it was pure magnificence to listen to our original compositions performed by LSO from the balcony of Studio One!
How would you describe ALAN as a character?
ALAN is courageous, resilient in nature and a loyal companion to have. This character exhibits mischievous behaviors at times, but ultimately has a soul of good intentions, ready to perform self-sacrificial acts to help friends when needed. ALAN is a heartwarming character who our audience will come to love for these traits.
Is your research into providing artificial intelligence to inanimates risky? Thoughts of Terminator come to mind.
There are always going to be risks with artificial intelligence and its applications in society. Thus we feel it is necessary to open up a healthy conversation to explore both risks and benefits. As many movies have previously highlighted the negative aspects of AI, we would like to focus on the how AI and robots may be viewed in a positive manner, helping to tackle many growing societal issues including that of loneliness.
Are there ethical considerations to this research and work overall?
As artists we are very conscientious about our work, and we have considered the ethics and use of AI for companionship, which is prevalent in many societies and cultures today. We hope to start an honest and inclusive conversation about it as we believe this topic deserves discussion not only amongst scientists, doctors, politicians, but also artists and writers!
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Lim Fantasy of Companionship for Piano & Orchestra is now available from Signum. Click here for more information.
