Apr 9th, 2009
Unprecedented event marks world premiere of first-ever live symphonic concert in 3-D
Boldly going where no orchestra has ventured before, the California Symphony will take audiences on a virtual space odyssey, when it presents the world’s first live symphonic concert in 3-D on May 3 and 5, 2009.
Commissioned by trailblazing Music Director Barry Jekowsky, the unprecedented event will feature Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition performed to a suite of high-definition videos created by noted astronomer and visualizer Dr. José Francisco Salgado of the prestigious Adler Planetarium in Chicago.
Composed in 1874, Mussorgsky’s popular work is a suite of ten piano pieces commemorating his friend, the artist and architect Viktor Hartmann, who died suddenly the year before. Inspired by a posthumous exhibition of over 400 of the artist’s works in St Petersburg, Mussorgsky’s creative interpretation took the form of an imaginary musical tour around such a collection. Each movement is filled with vivid musical images to convey the moods and feelings of a different painting, separated by interludes to create the feeling of walking through the gallery.
“Astronomical Pictures at an Exhibition,” the film, begins in a virtual gallery filled with cosmic “paintings.” As the camera moves through the works of art, audience members, wearing polarized 3-D glasses, enter space and fly past Earth, planets, stars, black holes, and galaxies. “Many astronomical images are so beautiful they look like artwork. It’s like nature is creating works of art,” says Dr. Salgado, who used actual photographs, as well as science visualizations of the cosmos and his own astronomy-inspired artwork in making it.
“The neat thing is that it’s based on scientific data. It’s not science fiction,” Salgado adds. “Basically, you’re taking scientific data and using it to create visuals to get a better insight into how the universe looks like and behaves. As long as you know the distance (the coordinates of those objects), you can virtually navigate through them. Then you can see large-scale structures that are not visible from Earth, and you don’t have to physically go there to see what the universe looks like.”
“The brilliance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition will be enhanced as the astronomical images on the screen dance and fly through the auditorium. Never before has technology and symphony created such an imaginative roller coaster of sight and sound,” says Jekowsky of the groundbreaking multi-media extravaganza.
The event is just the latest in a series of innovative programs in which Jekowsky and the California Symphony have been dazzling audiences with the unexpected. At a time when classical orchestras around the country are struggling to sell tickets, the 22-year-old East Bay orchestra has been enjoying record attendance – boosted by Jekowky’s flair for fusing classical music and pop culture to appeal to a wider audience. “For some time, it’s been obvious that the symphonic experience has to evolve in order to compete with the growing number of entertainment options available today,” he says.
“Astronomical Pictures at an Exhibition” marks the second time the California Symphony has collaborated with Dr. Salgado. In October 2007, CSO presented the West Coast premiere of his “Gustav Holst’s The Planets” at two standing-room only concerts. “It was a huge success!” says Stacey Street, the California Symphony’s Executive Director. “We had tons of new audience members, many of whom became regular patrons or subscribers. The interest that has already been generated by this upcoming concert is phenomenal.”
Among the unusual challenges of mounting the 3-D “Astronomical Pictures at an Exhibition” was the need for a silver screen and high definition projectors, as well as special technicians and two extra days in the auditorium, including for installation. “Without the support of the Diablo Regional Arts Association, we would not be able to mount a production of this scale,” says Street of the substantial grant awarded by the DRAA to cover the additional costs.
The world premiere of “Astronomical Pictures at an Exhibition” on May 3 and 5 coincides with the 2009 International Year of Astronomy, designated by the 62nd General Assembly of the United Nations. Among the historic milestones being commemorated around the world this year are the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of a telescope to study the skies, and Kepler’s publication of Astronomia Nova. For more information, visit www.astronomy2009.us.
*
About Dr. José Francisco Salgado
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Emmy-nominated host of Nuestra Galaxia, a weekly astronomy segment aired on Univision, earned his doctorate in Astronomy from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the Adler Planetarium Astronomy Department, where he combines Astronomy Research with Education and Graphic Design. Through his artwork, Salgado seeks to create visually appealing images to provoke curiosity and a sense of wonder about the Earth and the Universe. His artwork, photographs, and illustrations have been published in magazines and science books, and shown in San Juan, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Belgrade. For more information, visit www.AdlerPlanetarium.org.
About the California Symphony
The California Symphony, now in its 22th season, was designated “America’s Best Symphony Orchestra” by Reader’s Digest in 2005. Its founder, the distinguished Music Director, Barry Jekowsky, is regarded as one of the most innovative music directors today. The Juilliard-trained former Associate Conductor of the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., and winner of a Leopold Stokowski Conducting Prize was among the first in the nation to present at least one work by an American composer on every concert program, beginning 1986. Jekowsky has also provided numerous young gifted prodigies with their first-ever concert appearances in the U.S. – including violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Helen Huang, who went on to international fame. Concerned about where the next generation of American composers would come from, Jekowsky founded the California Symphony’s landmark Young American Composer-in-Residence Program (YACR) in 1991. The only training ground of its kind in the world, YACR nurtures the development of new American classical works through three-year residencies for emerging composers to hone their craft, using a professional orchestra as their laboratory. The program has been so successful that YACR alumni have gone on to win many of the world’s top honors and competitions – including two of the three BBC International Masterprizes awarded to date and four Rome Prizes. For more information, visit www.CaliforniaSymphony.org.
CONCERT DETAILS
WHAT: Music Director Barry Jekowsky and the California Symphony present the world’s first live symphonic concert in 3-D: “Astronomical Pictures at an Exhibition,” created by noted astronomer and visualizer Dr. José Francisco Salgado of the prestigious Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Also on the program will be the gifted young pianist Conrad Tao, performing Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, and Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring.
DATES: Sunday, May 3, 2009, at 4 pm and Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at 7:30 pm.
WHERE: Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
TICKETS: $39 – $59. Call (925) 943-SHOW or purchase online at www.LesherArtsCenter.org
MORE INFORMATION: www.CaliforniaSymphony.org
Special thanks to Bank of America (Season Sponsor), Chevron (Guest Artist Sponsor) and KPMG (Concert Sponsor), with additional support provided by the Diablo Regional Arts Association and the Adler Planetarium.
* * * the
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lyla Foggia
Foggia Public Relations
(503) 622-0232
lyla@foggiapr.com
Stacey Street
Executive Director
California Symphony
(925) 280-2490
sstreet@californiasymphony.org
