Colorado Symphony
Boettcher Concert Hall
Denver, CO
July 20, 2019
This year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the first Lunar Landing. To mark the occasion, the Colorado Symphony presented a special concert.
The program was filled with soundtracks written by John Williams. It started with the main theme from Star Wars and also included suites from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET, the Extraterrestrial. These familiar pieces were more dynamic when played live.Passages was the last number before intermission. It was preceded by a short video about how it was created for the 100th birthday of John F. Kennedy. Unfortunately, the video was necessary to understand the piece. It was a strange operatic singing of Walk Whitman’s A Passage to India interspersed with soundbites from Kennedy, some manufactured, some real. It was confusing and not pleasant to listen to.
The highlight of the show was From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, featuring a slideshow and narration by astronaut Richard Heib. It brought together the feat of landing on the moon in 1969 with a look into the future of space travel. It was an inspiring piece.
The encore performance of Clare de Lune or Moonlight was pretty, but it was anti-climactic after the powerful performances that preceded it.
The Lunar Landing Concert was a unique way to celebrate the anniversary of one of humankind's accomplishments. And it showcased how music and art reflect life.
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