..................................................................................................................................................................................... Duncan Copp, Ph.D. THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY PRODUCER / DIRECTOR / SCIENCE WRITER THE PLANETS AN HD ODYSSEY Hans Graf, conductor Women of the Houston Symphony Chorus Charles Hausmann, director uncan Copp grew up in Southwest England. documentary In the Shadow of the Moon the His enjoyment of Earth sciences and space intimate story of the Apollo astronauts. Distributed exploration became the backbone of his as a theatric and television release, In the Shadow educatDion. He holds a Master's degree in Satellite of the Moon has received over 15 awards interna- Stravinsky SCHERZO FANTASTIQUE, OPUS 3 Remote Sensing and a Doctorate in Astronomy, tionally, including Best International Film at the Scherzo fantastique, Opus 3 IGOR STRAVINSKY both from the University of London. His Doctorate 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Died: April 6, 1971, New York City, USA research focused on unraveling the volcanic and Copp is a recipient of the American Instituteof Dutilleux Work composed: 1907-08 geologic processes on Earth's nearest planetary Aeronautics and Astronautics distinguished public Instrumentation: piccolo, three flutes (one doubling Timbres, espace, mouvement, ou La nuit neighbor Venus. service medal for stimulating public interest in science piccolo, one doubling alto flute), two oboes, English etoilee (Timbres, Space, Movement, or Copp has worked as a freelance producer- and technology, specifically in space exploration. horn; three clarinets (one doubling E-flat clarinet), director for over 10 years. He's produced and Previousrecipients include Walter Cronkite and The Starry Night) bass clarinet; two bassoons, contrabassoon; four directed a broad spectrum of documentaries Gene Roddenberry. He is also a freelance science I Nebuleuse (Nebula): ~ = 72 environ horns, three trumpets, cymbals, two harps, celesta including issues on global warming, human space- writer and has been an on-screen presenter for the Interlude:J>= 56 environ- and strings flight, astronomy, Earth sciences and British history. BBC, Discovery and National Geographic Channels. II Constellations: J>= 56 environ In 2007, Copp produced the much acclaimed film He lives in Blackheath, London. The Scherzo Fantastiquewas Stravinsky's second orchestral work, composed just after Debussy's INTERMISSION La mer simultaneously with his Iberia and four years before Ravel's opulent ballet, Daphnis et Chloe. Holst Yet, it shares much the same brilliance and The Planets orchestral sweep as these famed scores and testifies to Stravinsky's confident use of a large post- I Mars, the Bringer of War: Allegro JUPITER, ARE YOU READY THE PLANETS - romantic orchestra by the time he was 25 years old. FOR YOUR CLOSE UP? AN HD ODYSSEY II Venus, the Bringer of Peace: Stravinsky acknowledged a stylistic debt to his Adagio-Andante teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov, to Alexander Glazunov The images selected to create The Planets - III Mercury, the Winged Messenger: Vivace and to Wagner during those years, but the Credits An HD Odyssey are taken from explorations IV Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity: Scherzo fantastique exudes the sound of French of our solar system over the past 35 years. Produced and Directed by: Duncan Copp Allegro giocoso-Andante maestoso Impressionism more than any other musical style. Also used in the production are a number of The piece is a large three-part form, with two Cinematography: V Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age: movies created by scientist teams. These animate transitional sections connecting the pastoral Simon Fanthorpe and Clive North Adagio-Andante specific features of particular planets, for interlude at the center of the work to the opening Film Editor: David Fairhead example, 'weather movies' are shown during VI Uranus, the Magician: Allegro scherzo and its shorter repetition at the end. the "Jupiter" movement, and a rendering Original Music Produced and Composed by: VII Neptune, the Mystic: Andante of both RADAR images and topographic PhilipSheppard information allows a visualization of flying over Special Thanks to: LINN Energy TIMBRES, ESPACE, MOUVEMENT, the volcanoes of Venus. The graphics in the NASA, )Pl - Caltech, )Pl Scientists & Engineers, Presenting Sponsor OU LA NUIT ETOllEE production are computer generated using real The Regional Planetary Imaging Facility, (TIMBRES, SPACE, MOVEMENT data retuned from spacecraft. For the most part, All at Bandito, All at Molinare and Re: Fine these images come from the latest missions and The Planets-An HD Odyssey OR THE STARRYNIGHT) Holst Manuscript Courtesy of: are produced in High Definition. All represent tour has been generously sponsored by HENRI DUTILLEUX The Bodleian library, Oxford some of the most spectacular results garnered The Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation, Work composed: 1976-78, rev. 1990 by NASA and a number of other organizations The Methodist Hospital System and Instrumentation: four flutes (two doubling piccolo, one doubling alto flute in G), three oboes, oboe dedicated to unlocking the secrets of earth's Weill Cornell Medical College. planetary neighborhood. d' amore, two clarinets, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, three bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, large percussion ensemble, celesta, harp, cellos and double basses. 4 5 Henri Dutilleux, the dean of modern French distance from the sun, to suit his own musical needs. composers, wrote this colorful orchestral work And his interest was aroused not by scientific THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY between 1976 and 1978, on commission from astronomical observations, but upon astrological Mstislav Rostropovich in honor of his new position associations suggested by their mythological names. Hans Graf as conductor of the Notional Symphony Orchestra Holst scholars have noted that the composer mode Music Director in Washington. While Dutilleux does not consider it a hobby of costing horoscopes and owned a book Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair to be descriptive program music, he has stated that by Alan Leo on the subject. Leo's book was Holst's Van Gogh's celebrated pointing, La nuit etoilee or source in determining the descriptive character of Michael Krajewski The Starry Night, was constantly in his mind while each piece in the seven-movement suite. Principal Pops Conductor writing it. He added the title of the picture as a sub- Holst completed work on the Firstmovement, Sponsor, Cameron Management title to his composition. "Mars, the Bringer of War," during the summer of Struck by Van Gogh's overwhelming emphasis 1914, just before World War I began. Over the next Robert Franz upon the night sky and its whirling stars, dwarfing two years, he composed the remaining six move- Associate Conductor the landscape below, Dutilleux realized that the ments of The Planets during weekends and holidays Sponsor, Madison Charitable Foundation only links between the two were a church spire and when he was free from teaching duties at a girl's a toll cypress, both thrusting upward. He sought a school. Then, in 1917, he orchestrated the entire Brett Mitchell comparable effect by eliminating the violins and suite. He composed the seven movements in the Assistant Conductor/American Conducting Fellow violas, which customarily bind together other order in which they are heard, except that elements of the orchestra. As a consequence, he "Mercury" was the lost piece he completed modified the normal seating plan, placing 10 cellos early in 1916. FIRSTVIOLIN: VIOLA: across the front of on orchestra. Instead, Holst's focuses on the notion of planets Eric Holen, Acting Concertmaster Wayne Brooks, Principal In 1990 Dutilleux revised the work and suspended in space with music that is static and Max Levine Chair George Pascal, Acting Associate Principal composed a central Interlude for the cellos, unchanging within each musical portrait. "Mars, the Assia Dulgerska, Acting Associate Concertmaster Joan DerHovsepian, Acting Assistant Principal which he subdivided into as many as six different Bringer of War" is loud and bellicose with heavy Ellen E. Kelley Chair Lindo Goldstein instrumental lines. He also added titles, brass climaxes. Certain rhythms and notes are Oi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster Thomas Molloy "Nebuleuse" and "Constellations," to the two insistently repeated throughout much of the piece. Cornelia and Meredith Lang Chair Rita Porfiris outer movements. His instrumentation is notable for By contrast, "Venus, the Bringer of Peace," is a Morino Brubaker, Acting Assistant Concertmaster Fay Shapiro including two alto-register wind instruments: the flute diaphanous slow movement, noted for its exotic tone Fondren Foundation Chair Daniel Strba in G and especially the oboe d'ornore, which has colors and subtle, elusive harmonies. "Mercury, the Alexandra Adkins Wei Jiang on important solo in the Firstsection of the work. Winged Messenger," has a will-o'-the-wisp lightness, Hewlett-Packard Company Chair Phyllis Herdliska punctuated by sudden bursts of tone as the music MiHee Chung Alissa Smith* flits from one orchestral group to another. "Jupiter, Sophia Silivos Kristen Linfante* THE PLANETS, OPUS 32 the Bringer of Jollity," is full of humor and on easy Rodica Gonzalez sense of power. The proud theme at the movement's Ferenc IIlenyi CELLO: GUSTAV HOLST center was set as the patriotic hymn, "I vow to thee, Brinton Averil Smith, Principal Work composed: 1914-16 Si-Yang Lao