Throughout this mighty tone poem, the striving theme of humans – presented first by low woodwinds – opposes that of nature, heard in the trumpets’ rising three-note figure that famously heralds the dawn of time in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. We hear eight stages of human development, climaxing in an exuberant waltz, before a mysterious fade into silence. 

(this is a previous MN Orch program note)

Haydn begins The Creation, his two-hour oratorio, with a movement titled “Representation of Chaos”. Meant to encapsulate the infinite nothingness before the creation of the universe, Haydn begins this movement with a unison C played by the full orchestra before gradually adding more and more notes, turning infinite nothingness into a chaotic creation of sound and the universe.

Mazzoli’s Sinfonia is patterned after the loops of planets, with the orchestra pushed beyond its traditional orbit of sounds and technique to create surprising and vibrant textures. Pitches slide from one to the next, several players set down their instruments for harmonicas and a synthesized organ sound rings out to otherworldly effect. 

(this is a previous MN Orch program note)

Montgomery wrote Starburst in 2012 for Sphinx Virtuosi, a touring ensemble based in Detroit, Michigan and takes its title from Montgomery’s view of the young musicians of Sphinx Virtuosi like “new stars in the galaxy”. This one-movement work pairs gentle, lyrical melodies with bursts of sound, inspired by the explosive creation of new stars.

Holst wrote this piece between 1914 and 1916. At the time, he was thinking about astrology and how astrologers believed planets had various mysterious powers over people. Each movement sounds uniquely different to represent those powers. “Jupiter: Bringer of Jollity” features a beautiful, lyrical melody representing joy; this movement continually rejoices and dances and was influenced by Holst’s interest in English folk dances. 

The theme of one of the most iconic film scores of all time, the Star Wars main theme was written by John Williams in 1977 ahead of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope. This theme became a global hit and even peaked at number ten on the Billboard charts! Serving as an intro to a story taking place in a galaxy far, far away, this theme sets the tone for an otherworldly story across space.