Holst’s mystical masterpiece with stunning NASA images of our solar system: a spectacular Sunday Classics Season finale.
Take an unforgettable journey to the furthest reaches of the cosmos. With the visionary music of Holst’s The Planets, together with stunning NASA images of our solar system’s planets in high definition on the big screen in the gorgeous surroundings of the Usher Hall.
From the galvanising military rhythms of Mars to the eerie beauty of Venus; from the majestic power of Jupiter to the mystical visions of Neptune – The Planets is a spectacular tribute to pioneering science, and also a glimpse into the hidden mysteries of astrology, all conveyed in some of Holst’s most evocative music. Combined with real-life, large-screen NASA pictures of the planets’ uncanny natural beauties, it’s an overwhelmingly powerful experience.
Holst’s magical masterpiece is performed by the exceptional musicians of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, directed by exciting young British conductor Ben Palmer. And before the interval, prepare for lift-off with some of the most dazzling space-themed music ever written.
Stanley Kubrick contrasted the imposing power of Richard Strauss’s mighty Also sprach Zarathustra and Johann Strauss II’s elegant Blue Danube waltz in his trailblazing movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, while John Williams transports us to the universe of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in his rousing music for Star Wars.
Programme information
Sunday Classics: The Planets: An HD Odyssey, with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra
3:00pm, Sunday 16 June 2019
Door time: 2:00pm
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Ben Palmer – Conductor
The Planets: An HD Odyssey
Richard Strauss – Also sprach Zarathustra (opening)
Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube
JS Bach (orch. Stokowski) – Toccata and Fugue in D minor
Beethoven – Symphony No. 7 (second movement)
Williams – Main theme from Star Wars
Holst – The Planets