PLANETS
Metro Series Concert #1
Image and design: Adam Finch
The Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra’s first concert for their 2026 season traces a journey from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to the earliest voices that walked our own land.
Opening the program, Peter Sculthorpe’s Earth Cry speaks with stark urgency and elemental power. Drawing on indigenous influences and raw orchestral colour, the work is both a lament and a call to attention, prompting us to listen closely to the earth beneath our feet.
John Rotar’s The Starry Messenger, a new work jointly commissioned by BPO and The Australian Voices, then turns our gaze skyward, inspired by the text of early astronomer Galileo Galilei. The concert concludes with Gustav Holst’s iconic The Planets. From the relentless drive of Mars, the Bringer of War to the hushed mystery of Neptune, the Mystic, Holst’s astrological portraits unfold with colour, drama, and imagination, bringing this cosmic journey to a powerful and unforgettable close.
SATURDAY 7 MARCH, 7:30PM
OLD MUSEUM CONCERT HALL, BOWEN HILLS
CONDUCTOR: Stefanie Smith
CHOIR: The Australian Voices
PROGRAM:
Peter Sculthorpe | Earth Cry
John Rotar | The Starry Messenger (World Premiere)
Gustav Holst | The Planets Suite