Back to Press Release List > - Hans Graf and the Houston Symphony at Carnegie Hall: The Planets - An HD Odyssey on January 28

Music Director and Conductor Hans Graf leads the Houston Symphony in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage on Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. in a program entitled The Planets – An HD Odyssey. For this special program, the Houston Symphony has collaborated with NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and award-winning producer/director Dr. Duncan Copp to craft a film featuring the latest, high-definition planetary images that will be shown on a large, 24-foot screen above the stage during the live performance of Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite The Planets. The orchestra will also perform Stravinsky’s Scherzo fantastique and Dutilleux’s Timbres, espace, movement.

“This combination of music and science can provide a deeper emotional dimension to the splendid cosmic images, a depth which is not to be experienced without the joyful power and delicate sensuality of Holst’s remarkable orchestra pieces,” said Maestro Hans Graf.

“The music was the driving force behind the production. The pacing of the film and selection of images were formed by the music. It’s a synergy really; a true marriage of two art forms,” added Dr. Duncan Copp.

Holst’s suite contains seven movements attributed to each planet (except Earth): Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Dr. Copp and his team worked with images returned from missions such as the Mars rover explorations, Cassini-Huygens, Voyager 1 and 2, Mariner 10, Magellan, Messenger, and Galileo.

For a video sample of the film, please click here.

About the Artists
Known for his wide range of repertoire and creative programming, Houston Symphony Music Director and Conductor Hans Graf is one of today's most highly respected musicians. He began his tenure in Houston on Opening Night of the 2001–2002 season. Prior to his appointment in Houston, he was the Music Director of the Calgary Philharmonic for eight seasons and held the same post with the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine for six years. He also led the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra from 1984 to 1994. Maestro Graf is a frequent guest with all of the major North American orchestras and conducts in the foremost concert halls of Europe, Japan, and Australia. He has appeared with the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, as well as with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Deutsches Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic.

Born in 1949 near Linz, Austria Hans Graf studied violin and piano as a child. He earned diplomas in piano and conducting from the Musikhochschule in Graz and continued his conducting studies with Franco Ferrara in Siena, Sergiu Celibidache in Bologna, and Arvid Jansons in Weimar and Leningrad. Graf served as the Music Director of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra in Baghdad for the 1975–76 season and the following year began coaching at the Vienna State Opera. His international career was launched in 1979 when he was awarded first prize at the Karl Böhm Competition. He was awarded the Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria in 2007 and France’s Chevalier de l’ordre de la Legion d’Honneur in 2002.

Dr. Duncan Copp grew up in Southwest England. His enjoyment of Earth sciences and space exploration became the backbone of his education. He holds a Master's Degree in Satellite Remote Sensing and a Doctorate in Astronomy, both from the University of London. His Doctorate research focused on unraveling the volcanic and geologic processes on Earth’s nearest planetary neighbor Venus. Dr. Copp has worked as a freelance producer-director for over 10 years. He’s produced and directed a broad spectrum of documentaries including issues on global warming, human spaceflight, astronomy, Earth sciences, and British history. In 2007 Dr. Copp produced the much acclaimed film documentary In the Shadow of the Moon, the intimate story of the Apollo astronauts. Distributed as a theatric and television release, In the Shadow of the Moon has received over 15 awards internationally, including Best International Film at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. He is a recipient of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics distinguished public service medal for stimulating public interest in science and technology, specifically in space exploration. He is also a freelance science writer and has been an on-screen presenter for the BBC, Discovery, and National Geographic channels.

Founded in 1913, the Houston Symphony is one of America's oldest performing arts organizations, with a rich history of musical excellence. The orchestra has experienced steady artistic growth under the direction of distinguished leaders such as Ernst Hoffmann (1936–47), Efrem Kurtz (1948–54), Ferenc Fricsay (1954), Leopold Stokowski (1955–61), Sir John Barbirolli (1961–67), André Previn (1967–69), Lawrence Foster (1971–78), Sergiu Comissiona (1979–88), and Christoph Eschenbach (1988–99). Maestro Hans Graf, who took the podium in September 2001, is the Houston Symphony's 15th music director. The orchestra moved into Jones Hall, its current home, in 1966, and in 1971, the symphony signed its first 52-week contract with the musicians. The Houston Symphony has become widely acclaimed as one of the top orchestras in the world. The symphony fills each busy season with more than 170 concerts attended by an estimated 350,000 people each year. During the summer, the orchestra performs at its official summer home, the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, tours the region with free Sounds Like Fun! concerts for children, and presents the free Target Summer Symphony Nights concerts at Miller Outdoor Theatre, where it has performed for more than 60 years. The symphony's newest outreach endeavor, the Houston Symphony Community Connections, involves musicians volunteering their time to go into the community, at no charge, as soloists, in small-ensembles or as music coaches. Each season, musicians reach more than 15,000 Houstonians in schools, hospitals, retirement homes, shelters, and community centers.

Program Information
Thursday, January 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage
HOUSTON SYMPHONY
Hans Graf, Music Director and Conductor

THE PLANETS – AN HD ODYSSEY

IGOR STRAVINSKY Scherzo fantastique, Op. 3
HENRI DUTILLEUX Timbres, espace, mouvement
GUSTAV HOLST The Planets, Op. 32 (with newly-created HD film)

Produced by Duncan Copp

Pre-concert talk starts at 7:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage with Thomas Cabaniss, composer and Faculty, The Juilliard School.

Sponsored by DeWitt Stern Group, Inc.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.