As the curtain rises on the OSOsa国际传媒 65th season of bringing musical excellence to the Okanagan Valley, so do the stars and planets.
The OSO will launch this season of excitement, anticipation and celebration with HOLST & MOZART. From Holstsa国际传媒 iconic The Planets, to Mozartsa国际传媒 heavenly Piano Concerto No. 21 per-formed by the uncommonly expressive David Fung, to Andrew Balfoursa国际传媒 North Star, with a little Star Trek music for good measure, this celestial program is out of this world.
It debuts Friday, Oct. 18 in Penticton and continues with shows Saturday in sa国际传媒 and Sunday in Vernon.
鈥淚鈥檓 so excited about my upcoming concert with the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra. The world-renowned pianist, David Fung, is fantastic, and the repertoire we are performing is phenomenal,鈥 said guest conductor Nad猫ge Foofat, the first of four short-listed music director candidates who will be showcased over the Mainstage Series concerts.
鈥淗olstsa国际传媒 Planets is a fascinating work. It was a true labour of love, as he wrote it over three years while maintaining two demanding teaching positions and also while suffering from an arm injury of his writing hand,鈥 she adds.
The Planets was a success from the outset, and the entire suite has strongly influenced many subsequent film composers when writing scores to accompany films about the ex-panse of space, alien beings and intergalactic travel.
For this performance, OSO will be joined by the Ancora Womensa国际传媒 Ensemble of Vernon, which will provide the ethereal soundscape at the end of the 鈥楴eptune鈥 movement.
Mozartsa国际传媒 Piano Concerto No. 21 is often referred to by its nickname, the 鈥淓lvira Madigan,鈥 so named for a 1967 Swedish film in which it formed part of the soundtrack.
鈥淚t is one of the great major piano works that he composed in Vienna,鈥 says Foofat. 鈥淚t is a gorgeous piece that displays his compositional genius, from its architecture to its soaring melodic lines, and I鈥檓 really looking forward to collaborating on it with David Fung.鈥
Fung himself describes it as 鈥溾 piece that holds a very special place in my heart. Itsa国际传媒 a work I鈥檝e performed over 30 times with orchestra鈥 I鈥檝e had the fortune of sharing it with many audiences around the world.鈥
At the top of the program, though, the theme of heavenly music is born out with a northern lights-inspired fanfare by Cree composer Andrew Balfour. Drawing on his love of the north-ern lights, sky and stars, Kiwetinacahkos (North Star) Fanfare for the Peoples of the North was written for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra to perform during the Canada 150 celebrations in 2015. It evokes a northern musical soundscape, capturing the peace, beauty and solitude of the Canadian north.
Foofat is excited about her appearance with the OSO.
鈥淚 have several neat connections to this program. The Planets was my maternal grandfathersa国际传媒 favourite piece of music, and I used to listen to it with him when I was a young child. In my teens, I was actually a big Trekkie 鈥 and I am going to have so much fun conducting the Music from Star Trek.鈥
Be a part of the experience 鈥 opening night at the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra, a heavenly program, and the opportunity to contribute to the music director search process.
Patrons will be invited to complete a short survey on each candidate conductor as they appear.
Tickets to HOLST & MOZART are available through the sa国际传媒 Community Theatresa国际传媒 Box Office (250-469-8940) for the Penticton and sa国际传媒 performances, and Ticket Seller (250-549-7469) for the Vernon performance.
All OSO concerts performed at the Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre this season will be at 2 p.m.
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