Nottingham and China align in a concert to perform Holst’s magnificent ‘The Planets’


November 8th, 2018

Musicians from the Zhejiang Conservatory of Music in China are to join with the University of Nottingham’s Philharmonia and Choir for a week-long programme of events, which will culminate in a special gala public concert, to mark the end of their first ever UK tour.

Performing at Nottingham’s Albert Hall from 7.30pm, Saturday 24 November, the combined large-scale ensemble of choral and orchestral musicians will play a concert including:

  • Li Huanzhi’s Spring Festival Overture, often performed at Chinese New Year festivities;
  • Rachmaninov’s The Bells, a choral symphony based on a Russian poem adapted from Edgar Alan Poe’s famous poem of the same name, marking the passage of life; and
  • The complete suite from Holst’s awe-inspiring, tour-de-force The Planets. Gustav Holst’s seven-orchestral movement represents all the known planets of the solar system seen from Earth at the time, and the astrological character of each planet.

The large-scale combined ensemble of orchestral musicians will perform the powerful and haunting finale, bringing together Holst’s imaginative use of a large orchestra.

Providing an additional dimension to the concert, a video show using astrological images and lighting is to be projected above the stage during the performance of The Planets. Created by digital artist Barret Hodgson of Vent Media — who has worked with Lakeside on a number of creative projects including the light projections onto Trent Building for Chinese New Year — the light show is sure to add an ‘other worldly’ dimension to the majestic closing performance.

Read the full press release on the UoN news webpage.

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