Promising “the ultimate fusion of science and sound,” the Glacier Symphony Orchestra and Chorale are hosting a “Planetary and Space Cinematic Experience” event this weekend.
Glacier Symphony will perform British composer Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite “The Planets,” accompanied by a breathtaking musical performance by Emmy-nominated astronomer, filmmaker, and visual artist Jose Francisco Salgado. The movie will be shown on the big screen.
The film travels through space, exploring each planet, the sun, and beyond, and features visuals from NASA and the European Space Agency. Produced by Salgado, this science and symphonic film is known for its finely tuned choreography to the music.
Salgado, co-founder of the nonprofit science and arts education organization KV 265, “works with orchestras, composers, and musicians to inspire curiosity and wonder about the Earth and the universe,” according to his biography josefrancisco.org. We are screening movies that evoke the sense of… Science and Symphony films have been shown to more than 474,000 people in 21 countries.
Salgado will be speaking before the concert to discuss the music and science behind his films on Saturday, October 14th from 6:30pm to 7pm and Sunday, October 15th from 2pm to 2:30pm. He will give a lecture on
Concerts will be held on Saturdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m. The Planets, written between his 1914 and 1916 years during World War I, is an otherworldly masterpiece in seven movements. Venus brings peace. Mercury, the winged messenger. Jupiter brings cheerfulness. Saturn brings old age. The magician Uranus and the mystic Neptune.
The event will include a performance of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor by renowned Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev. The concerto was composed in 1901 and is considered “one of the most beautiful and technically demanding works for solo piano and orchestra,” according to a Glacier Symphony Orchestra press release. This performance commemorates the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff’s birth.
“Ilya will bring his interpretive insight and considerable skill to the interpretation of this work, which is perhaps Rachmaninoff’s masterpiece for piano and orchestra,” the release states.
The event will be held in McLaren Hall in the Wachholz College Center on the Flathead Valley Community College campus.
Purchase tickets online at www.waccholzcollegecenter.org, call 407-7000, or visit the Glacier Symphony Box Office, 1031 S. Main St., Kalispell.