This is a production of enormous proportions: 17-and-a-half feet tall, to be exact.

A giant metronome of that height takes center stage as composer Paul Dresher and the musical quartet Zeitgeist bring Sound Stage to Eisenhower Auditorium this Tuesday.

A theatrical blend of sights and sounds, music and words, comedy and melody, and new and traditional instruments creates a show that will bring audiences an unmatched concert experience.

Sue Bernstein, tour representative for Sound Stage, said audiences should be ready for something more than just a concert, and nothing short of spectacular.

"The first thing the audience will see is a 17-and-half-foot tall metronome that stands in the center of the stage," Bernstein said. "This piece is the center of the performance. The interior is percussion instruments, the sides are sound chambers, the front is a harp and there are two 17-foot-long aluminum pendulums in the front and the back. When the artists operate the pendulums, the whole machine sets in musical motion."

Traditional instruments played by Zeitgeist will also be woven into the musical mixture as the quartet, along with Dresher, plays and performs Dresher's original composition.

Laura Sullivan, Center for the Performing Arts spokeswoman, said she thinks this performance will appeal to a large variety of people because of its unique perspective on a musical performance.

"It really makes a dramatic statement on the stage," Sullivan said. "It's a great lesson in collaboration, experimentation and imagination."

Bernstein said Dresher's goal was to bring audiences a musical performance with a more theatrical sense, something that wouldn't be just another concert.

"This piece creates its own world, and in watching the piece you are brought into that world," Bernstein said. "Because it's so interesting to watch as well as listen to, this isn't a concert where you'll just be sitting with your hands folded while you listen to the music."

Dresher, who has been inventing musical instruments since his teenage years, said he focused on not only the sound and quality of his instruments for this performance, but the size as well.

Dresher also said his background in classical music, rock 'n' roll and cultural music from around the world are all reflected in the many tones and feelings of the composition.

"More than anything, I want the audience to reconnect to the real ideas of playing music," Dresher said. "We say the words, 'Do you play music?' and often we forget that the word 'play' is the most important part of that phrase. We don't work music; we play it. Play is recreation, not just a goal where you follow the rules. Play gives us a sense of childlike wonder, of fun and experiment, a sense that you're not just going through the motions. The idea of this piece is to rediscover what that all really means."

In the spirit of Dresher's goal, the audience is encouraged to join the musicians on stage after the performance to play and experiment with the instruments.

"It's so satisfying for me to watch the audience come up after the show and play and be so intrigued by it all," Dresher said. "People will come away from this with a new sense of wonder and a true love of sound."