The Musical Planets

The final night in the 2008-09 Greensboro Symphony series occurred a little while back, and it was a dandy. Sometimes the performances are udnerwhelming, but not this particular evening. "The Musical Planets" was the theme. The lineup:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551, “Jupiter”
I. Allegro vivace
II. Andante cantabile
III. Menuetto: Allegretto
IV. Molto allegro

Gustav Holst
The Planets, Op. 32
I. Mars, the Bringer of War
II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
VI. Uranus, the Magician
VII. Neptune, the Mystic

An audio-visual display during Holst's works. Pretty nifty. I'd always heard that John Williams (of Star Wars score composing) had ripped off Holst. Now the evidence is as plain as the nose on your face. Being a Star Wars nerd, it was diffifcult to listen and NOT envision Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader prancing about. Take a listen:


Still, a neato evening of culture. Fun!