Inspired by the music of Bartók and Debussy, George Crumb's 'Makrokosmos' has become a 20th century classic on its own terms. The score of 'Makrokosmos Volume I' includes the astonishing notational style for which Crumb became famous, including the 'Spiral Galaxy' circular stave. A few lines of Rilke imbue the atmosphere of these 'Fantasy Pieces': "And in the nights the heavy earth is falling from all the stars down into loneliness. We are all falling. And yet there is One who holds this falling endlessly gently in his hands.