Ela Orleans on Night Voyager, her interest in space, and soundtracks

The Polish composer brings her A/V show to Dublin's NCH and Belfast's Black Box this week

The Polish composer Ela Orleans brings her audio-visual show Night Voyager to the National Concert Hall in Dublin on Thursday, October 17, and Belfast’s Black Box on Friday, October 18. Night Voyager sounds fascinating: “Set to soaring music featuring live synthesiser, theremin, vocals and violin, Night Voyager features Nasa archive footage of the 1969 Apollo moon mission, matching the astronauts’ emotional journey with fragments of Night Thoughts, a collection of extended poetic mediations written by Edward Young in 1742.. Rather than a linear retelling, Orleans’ performance focuses on the wider meaning of the lunar trip and Young’s exploration of mortality, time and human folly. Although now scarcely remembered, Night Thoughts was called in its time ‘the grandest and richest poetry that human genius has ever produced’.” Orleans, who’s based across Glasgow, London, and Paris, will be performing the show for the first time in Ireland this week; indeed mainly because of covid, there have only been a handful of performances of Night Voyager over the last five years. I talked with Ela Orleans about the ideas behind the show, her fascination with space, doing a PhD in music, inspiration, and more. You can read below.

It's five years since the premiere of Night Voyager. What came first for you, the images, the idea, or the music?
It all started with a late-night call from my friend and co-director Stuart McLean. He was in a bar in Manchester, naturally, and quite thoroughly acquainted with his drink. He was sitting with Stephen Slater, the archival producer behind Apollo 11. Apparently, they were discussing an old favour — and next thing I know, Stuart’s got access to more Nasa footage than should be legal. So, he rings me up, excited and mildly slurred, asking if I’d like to do something with Nasa’s archives. I said, “Sure, bring it on,” thinking it was just a whiskey-fuelled fever dream. Turns out it wasn’t. Suddenly, I had to figure out how to make this project stand apart from all the moon footage we’ve seen since 2001. The music and montage grew as we went along, sort of like a cosmic snowball gathering speed. I had just finished rescoring Guy Maddin’s Cowards Bend the Knee, and when I told him about this Nasa madness, he agreed to jump in as executive producer. Things escalated from there, as they tend to do when space and old friends are involved. 

Night Voyager uses 'footage of the 1969 Apollo moon mission repurposed to retell the narrative of Night Thoughts, a nine-poem cycle written by Edward Young in the 1740s'. Is space and the moon landing something you've always been interested in?
Who isn’t fascinated by space? Though, I must admit, the current moon exploration feels a bit like watching billionaires tick off their intergalactic bucket lists before they kick the cosmic dust. But back when I was a kid, it was all about Pigs in Space, Star Wars, and E.T.—the holy trinity of space-themed entertainment for my generation. I even met Mirosław Hermaszewski, Poland’s only cosmonaut, who visited my school after his 1978 mission on the Soviet Soyuz 30. I’d watched him on TV, all wide-eyed, and then there he was in front of me in real life. I don’t think I spoke for a week after that — just cosmic shock. Growing up in communist Poland, Russian space exploration was the narrative closest to home, more real than Neil Armstrong planting flags on the moon. The space obsession lingered. My first video, Black and White Flight, used Nasa footage. My debut album? High Moon, Low Sun. By the third record, I was neck-deep in Ray Bradbury’s Mars is Heaven, and I named the album after it. So yes, I might be just a little bit obsessed with space — its endless beauty, its infinite loneliness, and its sheer, indifferent wonder. 

Tell me about the nine-poem cycle by Edward Young in the 1740s. How did you come across, what does it mean to you?
I was on the hunt for the perfect storyline. My first thought was The Odyssey, but let’s face it — that’s everyone’s go-to space metaphor. Too easy, too on the nose. So I dug deeper. At the time, I was doing my PhD at Glasgow University, which meant I had the keys to the kingdom: Access to its library catalogue. I spent days sifting through old texts, looking for something that spoke to the cosmos and human hubris. Then I stumbled across Night Thoughts by Edward Young. Here was this grand, ridiculous poem from the 1740s, all opulent language and lofty ideas about life, death, and man’s delusional attempts to outshine God Himself. It was exactly what I needed — this mix of existential musings and over-the-top grandeur, perfect for pairing with moon missions and archival footage of humans bouncing around in space suits, thinking they’ve conquered the heavens. 

How long do you sit with something like that nine-poem cycle before it inspires music in you?
I don’t so much sit with ideas as walk them. Literally. How long does that take? I couldn’t tell you — time has a funny way of slipping when you’re wandering through a 1740s poem. I read, I select, and I do what any self-respecting artist would do: I bought two copies of Night Thoughts — one from a charming little antique shop and one from Amazon (because balance, right?). Then I took the Amazon version, cut out the passages I liked, and glued them into a notebook. I’m nothing if not practical. Of course, there’s never enough time to leisurely bumble around with projects like this. There are deadlines, and if I’m collaborating, I’ve got to get a move on. So, luxury of time? Not exactly. But maybe that’s for the best — too much time and you start overthinking everything. Deadlines keep me on my toes, and there’s a certain magic in that hurry. 

You've only performed Night Voyager seven times, according to your website. Has it changed over the last five years? Has your relationship with it changed?
I only managed to perform Night Voyager once before Covid grounded Planet Earth. So, that’s why the number is low — it wasn’t by choice. It was a bit heartbreaking, honestly. After all that effort, the project just sat there, floating in cyberspace like a digital ghost ship. During the pandemic, I shifted gears and finished L’Apparition, another project commissioned by Cryptic in Glasgow. Then, last year, a PRS Foundation grant came to the rescue, allowing me to resurrect Night Voyager and take it on tour. I’m incredibly grateful for that — it gave the work a second life. So yes, I’ve only performed it a handful of times, but that’s because it’s been just a year since its return to the stage. And like any (hopefully) good audiovisual work, it changes a little with each performance. I wish I could say it gets easier, but no. I seem to have a talent for keeping myself in a state of mild panic before every show. Keeps things interesting, I suppose! 

Have you done more soundtrack work since? Is it something you're interested in pursuing more?
Well, that’s the day job! I’ve been scoring for theatre, film, and opera for years. It’s just that women composing film scores is still treated like some sort of rare lunar event. You don’t see our names in the credits as often, but we’re out here, making the music. Hopefully, that changes in my lifetime — preferably before I start scoring the first film shot on Mars. 

You completed a PhD in music in Glasow in 2022. Did that change your relationship with music? Did you enjoy it?
I’m pretty sure no one in their right mind would say they enjoyed doing a PhD. That’s a special kind of masochism. But I was lucky to have an amazing supervisor, Professor Louise Harris, and met some brilliant people from all walks of academia — music, theatre, film, law, even neuroscience. A real motley crew of minds. After I finished, I had a bit of an epiphany: if I wanted to stay in the audiovisual world (film, theatre, opera, ballet), there wasn’t much room for an academic career. Also, I moved to Paris, so it’ll be a while before I can decipher an academic paper in French without sweating. But yes, the PhD changed how I see myself as an artist. I went in thinking academia would be the next step, a career path. But it turns out I’d rather be making and absorbing art than writing papers about it. I’d much rather read fiction than footnotes. So, in the end, I can’t be anything other than an artist. I’m doomed, and I’m free. 

You've lived in Glasgow for over 20 years or so, I think? How is the city doing musically, creatively, and do you feel part of it?
Oh no, I would never stick around for 20 years in one place! I lived in Glasgow for a total of 11 years —t hree in the '90s, then came back in 2012 and for nearly six years to study at the University of Glasgow. I was definitely part of the city’s creative scene, but it didn’t exactly influence me musically. By the time I returned, I already had five albums under my belt, recorded in the US, France, and England. My music taste hasn't changed much. I am just learning as I age. Hopefully.  What really shaped my time in Glasgow was working with Cryptic, an incredible organization that catapulted me into the world of audiovisual art. They gave me opportunities to perform in some amazing spaces, both in and far outside the city. I left in 2020, moved to London, but I still visit — Cryptic’s there, and I’ve got great friends in the city. But if I had to name cities that truly influenced me musically, it’d be London, New York, and now Paris. I need that buzz of diversity, that mix of cultures. I guess I’m a big-city rat at heart. 

What other music are you working on at the moment? 
I’ve just wrapped up a year-long residency at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris, where I worked on my third commission for Cryptic, La nuit dorée. It premiered last month at Sonica Festival in Glasgow’s Tramway, which was a blast.

Now, I’m diving into the score for a production of The Rainbow at the Perth Theatre in Scotland and drafting a new composition for Ensemble Klang in The Hague. Somewhere in between, I managed to score a feature documentary, and I’m also getting Night Voyager ready for its 2025 release at La Station Radar in France. So, you know, just a little bit of everything to keep things interesting! 

You're playing the NCH in Dublin on Thursday, October 17, and Belfast, October 18. Have you been over to Ireland much?
 I visited Dublin a long time ago — just to catch a Lambchop show. As for Belfast, I’ve popped in a few times but never had the pleasure of performing there. So, I’m really looking forward to finally bringing my music to both cities! It’s about time they get a taste of what I’ve been cooking up! 

Finally, what music are you enjoying listening to at the moment?
These days, I’m diving headfirst into French music, both old and new — think Claude Nougaro to Zaho de Sagazan. Of course, I can’t resist classical, contemporary music, and jazz. Last year, I had the pleasure of meeting the phenomenal cellist Tomeka Reid, and I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with her work. Alexander Hawkins’ music is like a sublime buffet of diverse sounds — so many flavors to savor! Oh, and I stumbled upon Louise Jallu playing the bandoneon, which was an absolute delight to watch. I also caught some new pieces by Eliane Radigue performed by a variety of musicians in Paris. As for popular music, I’m a big fan of Jessica Pratt and was thrilled to discover Emile Mosseri’s soundtrack work. France and Paris have such a vibrant music scene, so I’m immersing myself in it as much as possible. It’s like a musical buffet, and I’m here for seconds!