So Fragile, So Blue

“I had the most miraculous experience in my life,” William Shatner tells Apple Music Classical about his trip into space in October 2021. Directly after landing, the Star Trek actor—and erstwhile Captain of the USS Enterprise—gave an impromptu speech describing the awe he felt, touching on the beauty and vulnerability of planet Earth. “It was profound, it was religious, it was ecclesiastical,” he says of his brief flight. Watching far away from the comfort of his own home was Shatner’s close friend and collaborator of 30 years, the rock pianist, composer, and now artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., Ben Folds. “The first thing I did,” Folds recalls, “once I knew Bill was OK, was to write a letter immediately to the National Symphony Orchestra to say, ‘He needs to speak these words with an orchestra.’” The profoundly moving result is So Fragile, So Blue, an album of poetic narratives shaped by lyricist Robert Sharenow and delivered by Shatner over orchestral accompaniments, each specially commissioned by Folds. Released in April 2024 in time for Earth Day, each track features Shatner’s personal insights on the vulnerability of our environment, prompted by his voyage to the cosmos. “Eight Days on the Water” charts a childhood adventure by canoe from Canada to New York City, journey’s end at the Hudson greeted by “sad shades of brown, and just as much garbage as fish…” “The Meaning” sees Shatner undergo a spiritual awakening in the Himalayas, while in “Are You the Bayou?” he explores the parallels between the human soul and the contrasting beauty and unfathomed depths of American’s bayous or marshy inlets. Among the featured composers are Daniel Miller, Gabriel (“Gabe”) Witcher, and Jherek Bischoff, the last mentioned providing four scores, including for the title track, “So Fragile, So Blue.” “I gave Jherek a little intel on how Bill works musically,” says Folds, “because it’s a learning curve to work when you’re doing something a little different like this. But he just felt a kinship and he rocked it.” To suggest that Shatner “speaks” these poems is to undersell his performance. More accurately, he embraces the art of “Sprechstimme,” a German word describing a blend of speaking and singing, where the speech rises and falls with the melodic and dynamic contours of the music. In short, Shatner is a musical storyteller. “I’m doing something as spontaneous as a jazz musician in the narration,” says Shatner, “I mean, I just feel the music and let the words work.” You can hear this in “Are You the Bayou?”, during which Shatner shrieks and wails the word “bayou” as flamboyantly as Daniel Miller’s sultry, jazzy soundtrack. Folds understands the role artists have to play in delivering vital, urgent messages. “Scientists can walk out on stage and tell you all the facts,” he says, “but that doesn’t tell the story. They’re going to need to have spokespeople in the form of artists to do the storytelling. And that’s what Bill is doing. Bill’s actually got something to say, and he’s being brave about it.” Shatner has been rooting for answers to our environmental crisis since he read Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring, over 60 years ago. “I thought, ‘My God, the Earth’s really descending into a hell. I’ve got these kids, these wonderful children and they’re growing up to be wonderful human beings. I’ve got to do something.’ When this opportunity came up, I jumped at it because of my feelings. “I’ve been asked more than once, would I go back up?” says Shatner, “and to me, it’s like a love affair that’s over. I don’t want to revisit that, the beautiful memories I have. But if I did go up again, I’d come back with a more positive view—at this very moment, there are numerous scientists working on how to get the carbon dioxide, the methane, and the plastics out of our world. And if there’s enough time, it’s possible we can solve our problems.”