The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra inaugurates its summer season at Artpark this weekend with a program sure to please the trekkies in the audience. Saturday’s concert’s major work is The Planets by Gustav Holst, a suite of seven tone poems that enjoyed popularity among 1970s stoners who otherwise knew nothing about classical music but were grooving to the Age of Aquarius. An attribute associated with each planet (Holst skipped Earth and Pluto; the latter hadn’t been discovered yet and has since been demoted) is portrayed musically: Mars—war, Jupiter—jollity, Mercury—messaging, and so on. (For images to look at while listening, go to http://pds.jpl.nasa.gov/planets.) Equally otherworldly is Sibelius’ Violin Concerto that soloist Lara St. John (pictured above) will render in all of its icy beauty. Sunday afternoon’s concert is an all-Gershwin affair with a generous helping of his overtures, songs (with local chanteuse Colleen Williams) and the Concerto in F rendered by Gershwin specialist Kevin Cole. BPO associate conductor Robert Franz is in charge.
8pm Saturday, July 7; 3pm Sunday, July 8. Artpark,
450 South 4th Street, Lewiston (754-4375).
$15 (lawn) to $48 (ringside).
Questions or Comments for Artvoice? Send e-mail to editorial@artvoice.com • Article last modified 7/3/2007
Print page
Subscribe to Feed (RSS 2.0)
