Mover of the Earth, Stopper of the Sun is a concert overture for large orchestra that was commissioned by Orchestre national d'Île-de-France (ONDIF) from composer Svitlana Azarova.
The composition is dedicated to Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
Performances World premiere on January 23, 2013, by ONDIF at Salle Pleyel, Paris. Dutch premiere on March 1, 2014, by NedPho conducted by Marc Albrecht at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.Dutch premiere 1st of March 2014 at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam – Movers of the Earth Ukrainian premiere on September 17, 2015, at the S. Lyudkevych Concert Hall, Lviv, by the INSO-Lviv Youth Academic Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Anna Skryleva.September 17, 2015 at S. Lyudkevych Concert Hall, Lviv – United by Music A planned performance by the Residentie Orkest in April 2020, conducted by , was cancelled due to the COVID-19_pandemic.17th and 19th of April 2020 in the Zuiderstrandtheater, The Hague Swedish premiere on March 6–10, 2023, as part of Orchestra Project 4, performed by the symphony orchestra of the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg, conducted by Henrik Schaefer. German premiere on October 24, 2023, at the Sauerland Herbst Brass Festival at the Hagen Theatre, performed by , conducted by Rodrigo Tomillo. Swedish performance on October 23, 2025, as part of HSO – Storslagen romantik, performed by the , conducted by Joana Carneiro at the .HSO – Storslagen romantik (in Swedish), Helsingborg Concert Hall
Background The name of this composition was taken from the Nicolaus Copernicus Monument, Toruń which bears a Latin inscription drawn up by Alexander von Humboldt: Nicolaus Copernicus Thorunensis, terrae motor, solis caelique stator - Nicolaus Copernicus of Thorun, mover of the earth, stopper of the sun and heavens
In the score Azarova graphically and musically shows Copernicus’s heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe.
Bar Instruments Object 3 Cl. Sun 19-20 Cl., Bsn Earth 37 Ob., Cl Jupiter which is Copernicus' planet 55 Fl., Ob. Mars (Conductor Enrique Mazzola's planet) 56 Horns Saturn which is Azarova's planet, 57-59 Ob., Cl. Jupiter
Instrumentation
Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets in B, 2 Bassoons, 4 Horns in F, 2 Trumpets in B, 2 Trombones, Bass Trombone. Tuba, Timpani, Strings
Duration: ca. 5'
References
External links Audio recording of the premiere of Mover of the Earth, Stopper of the Sun – performed by Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, conducted by Enrique Mazzola; uploaded by the composer.