The Las Vegas Philharmonic visited "The Planets" during its 2013 performance of Gustav Holst’s celebrated interstellar suite, and soon the orchestra will revisit the celestial sky—specifically a “galaxy far, far away.”
That’s because the Phil will play a number of orchestral works from the scores of the Star Wars film franchise at a concert devoted to the music of film composer great John Williams during its 2016-2017 season, which was announced at the Smith Center prior to Saturday night's performance.
The Williams concert is one of nine full-orchestra programs the Phil will present throughout the season, which clocks in at 13 performances in Reynolds Hall. In addition to the symphonic sets, three “spotlight” concerts at the Troesh Studio Theater—featuring chamber ensembles comprising Phil musicians—complete the jam-packed and diverse season.
Continuing conductor Donato Cabrera’s inaugural season mission, the orchestra will perform time-honored classical masterpieces along with new works from living composers—and the Phil will premiere four of those recent compositions to boot. Cabrera has balanced the season’s program between well-known pieces, like Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony and Rossini’s "William Tell Overture", with other centuries-old works. Premieres include Jennifer Bellor’s "898 Hildegard," Clarice Assad’s "Nhanderú," Kevin Beavers’ "Bright Sky" and Nathaniel Stookey’s "YTTE (Yield to Total Elation)," which was jointly commissioned by the Phil and the San Francisco Symphony.
The season will also boast quite a bit of star power, from acclaimed musicians featured as soloists to one of the world’s few EGOT (that’s Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winners, Rita Moreno. The iconic actress, singer and dancer will lend her vocal talents by narrating Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, and those two holiday performances will be followed by excerpts from—what else?—Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker.
As for that Williams concert, the Phil will also transport listeners to the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as well as the shores of both New England and Normandy—works from the Harry Potter, Jaws and Saving Private Ryan films (and more) will all be performed.
Also continuing this season are Cabrera’s pre-show Classical Conversation talks, in which the conductor discusses the history of the works and the meaning behind the music. With the exception of the holiday program, Cabrera’s tradition will precede each performance.
Subscriptions to the upcoming season are now on sale, with nine- ($270-$981), six- ($180-$654) and four-concert ($120-$436) packages available—and those who purchase subscriptions through May 16 will receive a 10 percent discount. Tickets to individual performances go on sale June 20, with prices ranging $30-$109.
For the Philharmonic's full 2016-2017 season details, visit lvphil.org.
