(POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.)  – The Hudson Valley Philharmonic will tackle Holst’s “The Planets,” joined by the Vassar Women’s Choir (Christine Howlett, Choral Director); the Bardavon’s mighty Wurlitzer organ; and digital projections provided by NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope, at the Bardavon on Saturday, November 23, 2013 at 8pm. (The performance is sold out.)

Choreographed to accompany the score, the spectacular space images – some familiar and some rarely seen – correspond to the seven movements of the orchestral suite. Each movement is named after a planet in our solar system and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst. With the exception of Earth, all the astrological planets known during the work’s composition are represented. (In 1914 there was no Pluto.) Also on the program, conducted by Maestro Randall Craig Fleischer, is Prokofiev’s Symphony no. 7, op. 131.

This performance of Holst’s “The Planets” is the season’s second performance and closing event of SkyFest: Astronomy & the Arts. Ticket-holders are invited to a pre-concert talk by Maestro Fleischer with members of the orchestra one hour before curtain.

Randall Craig Fleischer is the dynamic, engaging music director of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. He celebrates 21 seasons with the HVP this year. He is a leading force in the classical music scene all over the United States. His charismatic personality and contagious love of music ignite orchestral brilliance in every concert he conducts.

This year, the HVP celebrates its 54th season. It was 79 years ago that the Dutchess Philharmonic Community Orchestra was founded by four local amateur musicians, and 54 years ago that conductor Claude Monteux elevated the orchestra to a fully professional ensemble, renaming it the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. This also represents the orchestra’s 15th year under Bardavon management and the 21st under the music direction of Maestro Fleischer.

SkyFest: Astronomy & the Arts is the third installment of the Bardavon’s 4 Seasons of the Hudson Valley Festival. Renowned astronomer Bob Berman helped kick off the 6-week SkyFest celebration with a lecture on “Wonders of the Autumn Sky” and a moonwalk on the Walkway Over the Hudson on October 18. All SkyFest events have been low-cost or free, and included a second lecture with Berman, the visual art exhibitions, and ongoing celestial observation. SkyFest culminates with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic performance on November 23.

Tickets for Holst’s The Planets range in price from $32 to $54. Student Rush tickets will be available one hour prior to the concert for $20. Tickets can be purchased at:

 

Bardavon Box Office                      UPAC Box Office

35 Market Street                              601 Broadway

Poughkeepsie                                  Kingston

845.473.2072                                   845.339.6088

 

or through TicketMaster 800.745.3000.