For its final performance of the season, the Midland-Odessa Symphony Chorale will take its audience members on a journey through space and time with its performance of May the Planets Be With You.
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. May 14 at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.
Like many performances this season, this show was originally supposed to take place two years ago, but due to COVID, was put on hold.
“This entire season has been a lot of shows that have been deferred since the worst days of the pandemic so it’s been really rewarding to be back at full force with the entire orchestra with no restrictions on the audience,” MOSC Conductor Gary Lewis said. “It’s been really fun to be back.”
The evening will open with the iconic John Williams “Star Wars Suite” that fans are well familiar with.
The second half of the program will feature Gustav Holst’s timeless work “The Planets” which will feature a full orchestra accompanied by a women’s chorus.
Holst composed the “The Planets” between 1914 and 1916. The work features seven movements, all creatively named after the known planets at that time.
There are titles such as “Mars: The Bringer of War” and “Venus, the Bringer of Peace” as well as “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity” which features the British patriotic hymn “I vow to Thee, My Country.”
For Lewis, “The Planets” is one of his all-time favorites.
“It’s just an incredibly vivid tour through the solar system and it uses a big orchestra,” Lewis said. “It’s really great.”
The music will be accompanied by planetarium-like visuals by artist Adrian Wyard.
“We’re going to be accompanying that with a video presentation that illustrates the planets and the solar system,” Lewis said. “It’s just one of the great works for a large orchestra.”
For Lewis, “Star Wars” and “The Planets” both had a major musical influence on him at a young age.
“I have a real personal connection to this program because these two works were incredibly important to me in learning about orchestral music,” Lewis said. “I remember when I was a third grader, growing up in Oklahoma City, we went to hear the OKC symphony play as part of a field trip and they played Mars and Jupiter from the planets. I was completely blown away and asked my parents to buy me an album of The Planets. Years later, when Star Wars came out, I remember lying on the floor between the speakers and soaking the sound of the London symphony orchestra playing and it was just an important experience in my development as a musician and conductor.”
One of the things Lewis said he enjoys about “The Planets” is the variety and how it fits perfectly with a large orchestra.
“The work is not describing the geological or the formation of the planets but it’s describing more the spirits and personalities and characteristics of the planets,” Lewis said. “You have Mars, the bringer of war to Uranus, the magician and everything in between. The scope and range of emotions and characters and sound is just really remarkable. I think too, just the fact that it uses a large orchestra and so many interments and colors within the orchestra, it’s just beautifully orchestrated. It’s just that variety of character that appeals to me the most.”
This summer will mark the start of a new era for the orchestra as it will be renamed The West Texas Symphony starting July 1.
This upcoming season will also be the 60th anniversary of the orchestra.
“Well, I think it’s going to be a terrific way to begin our next 60 years,” Lewis said. “The orchestra has been such an integral part of the community for six decades now and we look forward to recommitting ourselves to serving not only the Midland-Odessa and surrounding areas but hopefully expand our reach and serve a broader part of West Texas.”
Lewis said he couldn’t be more excited about this upcoming performance.
“We’re hoping that everyone will come out and hope everyone will check out the 60th anniversary season and support this wonderful orchestra that’s such a vital part of our community,” Lewis said.
If you go
- What: May the Planets Be With You.
- When: 7:30 p.m. May 14.
- Where: Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center.
- Where to buy tickets: tinyurl.com/ycknvjhv
