College Symphony Orchestra presents showcase of 20th century music
 Assistant Conductor Andre Lousada rehearses wth the College Symphony Orchestra. |
 Orchestra Director David Rudge |
An all 20th century program will be presented by the College Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Dr. David Rudge, on Saturday, March 3, 8 p.m., at King Concert Hall.
The concert is open to the public and admission is free.
Assistant conductor André Lousada will lead the orchestra in the opening selection, “The Overture to Colas Breugnon,” by Soviet composer Dimitri Kabalevsky.
It will be followed by Penderecki’s “De Natura Sonoris No. 1,” a hair-raising piece used in the film “The Shining,” and Stravinsky’s dramatic “Symphony in 3 Movements.”
The concert’s second half departs from the standard symphony orchestra format with a multimedia performance of “The Planets,” by Gustav Holst. Widely considered the most inventive and famous of Holst’s scores, the piece was inspired by the composer’s interest in astrology. High definition photography from NASA and images depicting the astrological symbolism of the planets will be projected onto a large screen above the orchestra, which was Holst’s vision when he wrote the piece.
“The Planets” is a seven-part composition that depicts the characters of each planet: “Mars, the Bringer of War;” “Venus, the Bringer of Peace;” “Mercury, the Winged Messenger;” “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; “Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age;” “Uranus, the Magician;” and “Neptune, the Mystic.” Audiences will undoubtedly be familiar with “The Planets,” one of the most quoted and plagiarized scores of the 20th century.
