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The Utah Symphony presents "The Blue Planet Live!,"a presentation of film sequences from the BBC/Discovery television series shown on giant screens and accompanied live under the baton of associate conductor David Cho. Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch will serve as narrator.

The show was created by British composer George Fenton, who composed the Emmy Award-winning score for the television series. Fenton wrote film scores for movies such as "Gandhi," "Dangerous Liaisons," "Anna and the King of Siam" and "Groundhog Day," and his work has been nominated for multiple Oscar and Golden Globe awards.

"Blue Planet Live!" is "about being part of a theatrical experience, which involves sharing these incredible images of incredible creatures in a way that we can't in front of the television," Fenton said.

The show celebrates the majesty and mystery of the world's oceans through stunning footage of marine life, including creatures and animal behaviors never seen on film.

Utah videographer Rick Lawson worked on the filming of the series, said Utah Symphony | Utah Opera CEO Melia Tourangeau.

Hatch was asked to narrate the evening because of his longtime support of the Utah Symphony and the local arts community, Tourangeau said. The Utah politician's songwriting experience will help him in placing his narrative within the timing confines of the musical score, she added.

"We wanted someone who can read music and has the musical sense to do these things," Tourangeau said. "It can be quite complicated."

Cho is tasked with keeping the Utah Symphony in sync with film, as he was for the recent presentation of "Oz with Orchestra," which featured a screening of "The Wizard of Oz" with live orchestral accompaniment. Playing for film requires careful timing and a willingness to play second fiddle to events on screen, Cho said.

"When you are watching a good movie, you are not always aware of the background music," he said. "The orchestra's job is to do its job without being in the foreground — enhancing what is going on on the screen."

Fenton's music is haunting and evocative, Cho said, and takes listeners to a quiet place in nature that's often missing from hectic modern life. —

Playing second fiddle to Mother Earth

P The Utah Symphony provides live accompaniment to the BBC/Discovery television series ocean footage in the performance of "Blue Planet Live!"

When • Thursday, Dec. 30, at 8 p.m.

Where • Abravanel Hall, 123 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City.

Tickets • $30-$85 ($5 more day of show) 801-355-ARTS or http://www.usuo.org; subscribers and group or student discounts, 801-533-NOTE. If seats are available, $15 student tickets may be sold the day of show.

More info • To view a video ad for the show, visit http://www.utahsymphony.org/concert-detail.php?id=296.