Shining Planets, Rising Stars

London Chamber Orchestra and Music Junction present…

Shining Planets, Rising Stars

Thursday 05 May, 6.30pm, St John’s Smith Square

Holst The Planets Suite (arr for chamber orchestra by George Morton)
Cheryl Frances-Hoad The Exciting Marvellous Mars (world premiere) featuring Music Junction participants


Running Order

Holst The Planets
1. Mars, the Bringer of War
2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger

Cheryl Frances-Hoad The Exciting Marvellous Mars

1. The Launch of Perseverance
2. The Orbit of Odyssey

——— 20 minute Interval ———

3. The Exciting Marvellous Mars
*Shaftsbury High School not involved

Holst The Planets

4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
6. Uranus, the Magician
7. Neptune, the Mystic

 

 

The Exciting Marvellous Mars Lyrics:

Widely open your two eyes to see space 
We seek a Utopia, a promised land
Second smallest in the solar system, Satan’s satellite, like a drop of blood in the vast abyss of black 
The exciting marvellous Mars 
Its rocky surface riddled with scars, freezing cold but bitterly beautiful 
A desolate desert of rust, the pale sun rises over the landscape of dust. 
Thinking and thinking, about the planet Mars
A small scarlet rock, spinning in space, an ancient barren land
So much to explore 
The blood orange ball, a red eye in the blackness, a planet covered in scars
We seek a Utopia, a promised land 
Steams of water are long lost gone, but valleys of rock still carry on
Ravines everywhere, ravines which have no bottom, where will they lead to? 
Scars on mars desolate and dry, the lakes and streams long lost, long gone. 
Mars is like the whisper of humanity, not yet explored 
The bitterness, the cold, rage, anger, craters of terror 
A volcano of death
Orbiting the sizzling sun, blood dripping like sweat
The wind screams across the plain, struggles up the tallest mountains, and falls into the darkest chasms
We seek a Utopia, a promised land
The red planet, unheard, unseen, unknown, 
We seek a Utopia
The exciting marvellous Mars, the exciting marvellous Mars! 
A planet, painted with blood, the fox orange sunrise, flying across the craggy barren planet
The sub-zero temperature, freezing your earth warm body 
That crimson red planet in the sky, 
Not a single sole has stepped foot on this ancient globe 
We seek a Utopia a promised land
As scientists explore, Mars starts to open its door
NAS gives birth to another rover: they venture to the unexplored 
Could Mars be the one to save us from extinction? Could Humanity go on? 
We seek a Utopia, a promised land 
We seek a Utopia, the exciting Marvellous Mars
So much more we need to explore
But the question is: are you ready?

Lyrics created from a collection of poems by John Lyon School pupils


Partner Schools
Mentors:
John Lyon School
Blundell’s School

Mentees:
High Close School
Shaftesbury High School
Kenmore Park Junior School
St John’s CofE School

 

With thanks to:
Our partners Harrow Music Service for their support in the Harrow Hub and providing instruments for Shaftesbury, Kenmore and St John’s schools.

Outreach Creative Director Rosemary Warren-Green

The generous donations from individual supporters and friends of the orchestra

All the LCO Music Junction team, for supporting both the mentors and mentees in workshops leading up to this concert.

 

London Chamber Orchestra

Violin 1
Janice Graham
Guy Button*
Hannah Renton
Anais Boyadjieva
Eleanor Mathieson
Alicia Verendse

Violin 2
Kathy Shave
Kirsty Mangan*
Robin Martin
Thomas Grundy
Isabel Protheroe

Viola
Johan Hoglind
Miles Brett
Heather Hawken

Cello
Adrian Bradbury
Alexei Sarkisson
Hannah Schofield
Susie Winkworth*

Bass
Andy Marshall
Jack Cherry

Flute/ Piccolo
Chris Hankin*
Michael Lui*

Bassoon
Sarah Sesu

Horn
Johan Stone
Elise Campbell

Trumpet
Alex Caldon*
Alex Cromwell*

Trombone
Ryan Hume

Percussion
Beth Higham-Edwards*
Chris Blundell
Geoff Boynton

Piano
Tim Carey

*Music Junction team

Generously supported by Garfield Weston Foundation, John Lyon’s Charity, Arts Council England





 

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