Marin Alsop Conductor
Jennifer Koh Violin
Women of the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir
Amanda Quist Director
Brahms Tragic Overture
Mazzoli Violin Concerto (“Procession”)
Holst The Planets
Journey into the cosmos with Gustav Holst’s The Planets as otherworldly scenes delve into the human psyche. Experience the ferocity of Mars, the Bringer of War; the jollity of Jupiter; the tranquility of Venus, the Bringer of Peace; the mystical Neptune; and all the rest.
The dazzling virtuosity of violinist Jennifer Koh and the brilliance of Missy Mazzoli—“Brooklyn’s post-millennial Mozart” (Time Out New York)—take center stage in Mazzoli’s Violin Concerto (“Procession”). Writing for Koh during the height of the pandemic, the composer found inspiration in the history of medieval healing rituals, casting her soloist as a soothsayer, sorcerer, healer, and pied piper-type character, leading the orchestra through five interconnected healing spells.
The program, conducted by the legendary Marin Alsop, opens with Johannes Brahms’s stirring Tragic Overture.