Of Other Worlds: Orchestra Concert

Cabrillo Festival's grand finale turns our thoughts outward toward the universe—from the earth’s crust, to the solar system, to modern cosmology. Tonight Cristi M?celaru and the Festival Orchestra present the West Coast premiere of Pierre Jalbert’s In Terra. Originally inspired by the idea of layers of history, it “also conjured the various epochs and layers within the earth’s crust and the sometimes slow, sometimes violent changes that take place over time.” These layers are represented musically by various motives in the piece that stack upon one another as the work evolves. Nico Muhly has written a wide range of work for both classical and pop musicians—collaborating with artists as diverse as singer Björk and choreographer Benjamin Millepied. His song cycle, Impossible Things, is a setting of poems by C.P. Cavafy in Daniel Mendelsohn’s translation. It receives its West Coast premiere tonight featuring guest artists tenor Nicholas Phan and Festival Concertmaster Justin Bruns. “The piece inevitably recalls Britten’s magisterial cycles…. But Muhly has found his own musical language, a lyricism underpinned by subtle tension, and it achieves uncanny alignment with the lights and shadows of Cavafy’s poetry,” says The New Yorker. Missy Mazzoli describes her mesmerizing Sinfonia (For Orbiting Spheres) as music “in the shape of the solar system, a collection of rococo loops that twist around each other within a larger orbit.” Celebrated by UK’s Independent as a “highlight” of the BBC Proms season, Sinfonia churns and roils, then inches close to the listener only to leap away at breakneck speed. Maestro M?celaru closes out the Festival season with Part One of Michael Gandolfi’s sweeping, Grammy Award-nominated work, The Garden of Cosmic Speculation. The piece takes its inspiration from a sprawling sculptural garden, inspired by science and mathematics, designed by American architect Charles Jencks in Southwestern Scotland. Gandolfi has put into music his impressions of that garden and you’re invited to stroll with him, connecting past, present and future, as we bid farewell to the 2018 season.

MEETUP! Wrap up your 2018 Festival experience with a free afternoon concert by our Student Staff Ensemble, then head downtown to enjoy a Prix Fixe Dinner Date and special pre-concert surprises! Our restaurant partners have crafted special prix fixe menus for Festival-goers. Limited seating is available, advance reservations required. Mention Cabrillo Festival when calling for your 5pm pre-show reservation:
Cafe Mare: 831.458.1212 | 740 Front Street @ Cooper Street, Downtown Santa Cruz
Gabriella Cafe: 831.457.1677 | 910 Cedar Street @ Church Street, Downtown Santa Cruz
Rosie McCann’s: 831.426.9930 | 1220 Pacific Avenue @ Walnut Avenue, Downtown Santa Cruz