Gustav Holst's epic suite The Planets will be the highlight of a concert organised by the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra on Wednesday, 15 November.
The concert, which will take place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, will see the orchestra perform under the direction of Greek conductor Michalis Economou. Economou had first conducted the MPO in November 2016, in a concert showcasing the works of Dvořák and Elgar performed in front of a packed Teatru Manoel.
The Planets was written by Holst between 1914 and 1916, and each of its seven movements focuses on a planet in the solar system - Mercury to Neptune, excluding Earth - and its astrological significance. The MPO's performance of The Planets at the MCC, will be enhanced by a set of visual animations reflecting the characteristics of the music featured in each of the planets.
The suite has proven to be enduringly popular, so much so that Holst even ended up complaining that its success overshadowed his other work. It has also proven to be a highly influential suite, helping to set the scene for countless sci-fi film soundtracks among other works. Its final movement - Neptune, The Mystic - is one of the first pieces of music to have a fade-out ending, featuring a women's chorus which repeats the final line until, in Holst's own words, "the sound is lost in the distance." The voices will be provided by the MPO Chorus, with MPO assistant conductor Riccardo Bianchi as chorus master.
The MPO will be opening the concert with a performance of Shostakovich's Festive Overture, written in just three days to mark the 37th anniversary of the October Revolution.
Economou is also a keen composer, and he will also be conducting a performance of one of his own works, Elegies for Life and Death, inspired by a work by English painter John Martin, and is based on ancient Greek poems. For this performance, the orchestra will be joined by mezzo-soprano Clare Ghigo.
The concert starts at 8pm. Tickets may be purchased through showshappening.com.