Created for MND Australia, ‘The Fading Symphony’ is a powerful and inspiring campaign to raise awareness of the debilitating symptoms of motor neurone disease (MND). Featuring Australian musician, actor and comedian Tim Minchin with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra this innovative re-recording and video of Neil Finn’s track ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’, highlights the physical impacts of the disease metaphorically through the artists’ deteriorating performances.

MND is a progressive terminal neurological disease with no known cure or effective treatment. Each day in Australia two people die from and another two diagnosed with MND, causing them to suffer progressive loss in use of their limbs, ability to speak, swallow and breathe while their mind and senses usually remain intact.

As if affected by MND, Minchin and the orchestra fall abruptly silent. Viewers are asked to donate, then rewarded by the symphonies resurgence to complete the iconic song.

Through the sensory power of music, we brought the unfathomable reality of MND to life in an informative yet emotionally engaging way.

The film uses popular Australian musician and comedian Tim Minchin and the prestigious Sydney Symphony Orchestra, performing a specially commissioned orchestral arrangement of the much loved Crowded House song ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’.

To encourage donations, the viewer is prompted to donate at the end of the film. Those who do are rewarded with a second video of Tim and the Orchestra coming back to life and performing the rest of the song and building to a rousing and dramatic crescendo.