GREENSBORO – The Vermont Philharmonic opens their season with a concert that includes Mozart’s “Jupiter Symphony” and Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” Concerts are Saturday, Oct. 18, at 4 p.m., at the Highland Center for the Arts and Sunday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m., at the Barre Opera House. Music Director Lou Kosma has been the orchestra’s conductor since May 1999.
“The Planets,” a seven-movement orchestral suite, was composed between 1914 and 1917. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the solar system and its supposed astrological character: Mars, the Bringer of War; Venus, the Bringer of Peace; Mercury, the Winged Messenger; Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age; Uranus, the Magician; and Neptune, the Mystic. As the titles suggest, the movements offer a variety of moods.
Mozart composed his last symphony, appropriately nicknamed “Jupiter,” in 1788. It is regarded as one of the greatest symphonies in classical music, celebrated for its grandeur, formal complexity and contrapuntal mastery.
The Vermont Philharmonic is celebrating its sixty-seventh year of bringing classical music to Central and Northern Vermont. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door. More information about the Vermont Philharmonic is at vermontphilharmonic.com.
