NJ ARTS Review: New Jersey Symphony achieves great heights playing music by Holst and others
"With her feet on the ground and her eyes on the heavens, conductor Xian Zhang and the New Jersey Symphony took audiences on an interplanetary adventure between the two realms at The State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJPAC in Newark and The Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown.
“Holst’s The Planets — An HD Odyssey” was presented from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2. (I attended Feb. 2 in Morristown, though the photos used in this article are from Feb. 1 in Newark.) The concerts explored the contrasts between the cosmos and earthly enchantments with Caroline Shaw’s The Observatory, followed by Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending with guest violinist Nancy Zhou, and Gustav Holst’s title piece, featuring Montclair State University’s Prima Voce choir. The program was tailored to the orchestra’s 2024-25 season theme, which looks toward broader and more mystical horizons, and celebrates the wonders of the natural world.
Holst and Vaughan Williams, whose works on the program are both symphonic staples, met as students at the Royal College of Music in London and shared a lifelong friendship. Along with Elgar, they embraced English folk traditions and created a national music identity, effectively breaking away from the longstanding European models"
Read the rest of the review here.