Some out-of-this-world music opens the Vermont Philharmonic’s 67th season with a concert program that includes Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony and Gustav Holst’s The Planets. Concerts are Saturday, October 18th at 4:00 at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, and Sunday October 19th at 2:00 pm at the Barre Opera House. Music Director Lou Kosma has been the orchestra’s beloved Music Director and Conductor since May 1999.
The Planets, a seven-movement orchestral suite, was composed between 1914 and 1917. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the solar system and its supposed astrological character: 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. As the titles suggest, the movements offer a variety of moods.
Mozart composed his last symphony, appropriately nicknamed “Jupiter”, in 1788. It is regarded as one of the greatest symphonies in classical music, celebrated for its grandeur, formal complexity, and contrapuntal mastery.
The Vermont Philharmonic is celebrating its sixty-seventh year of bringing the joy of classical music to Central and Northern Vermont. The concert is sponsored by Community National Bank. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $5 for students. More information about the Vermont Philharmonic is at vermontphilharmonic.com. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
