Zero gravitas

>> The OM’s Cosmos is a night of spaced-out fun

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Coming up this Monday, armchair astronauts have an alternative to the Planetarium and the Pink Floyd laser shows. The Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal has prepared a soirée called Cosmos, and while classical music is the meat of the matter, there are some extra touches to launch the night into the stratosphere.
The evening’s card, ruled by the baton of guest conductor David Agler, is completely spaced out. First up is Morel’s “L’étoile noire”—not to be confused with the Grateful Dead’s “Dark Star” or the theme from the less-than-memorable ’80s cartoon Blackstar. Following that is “Symphony No. 6: Celestial Gate,” by Hovhaness, and then—Metallica fans take note—the very obvious call of Holst’s “The Planets.”

Composed in 1917, before some crackerjack spotted Pluto through a telescope in ’30, Holst’s opus has a movement for each of the rocks that rotate our sun, from Mercury through to Neptune. Just so the cold little lump at the end of the line doesn’t feel left out, the Cosmos bill closes on the Colin Matthew’s 1999 composition “Pluto,” intended as an addendum to Holst’s work.

Okay, now, the bonus stuff. The 70-strong orchestra will be supplemented by their in-house women’s choir. Better yet, natch’l-born Montrealer and former OSM Chamber Choir member Julie Payette will be on hand—but not as a singer. Sure, she’s a big music lover and all, but she’s also the Canadian Space Agency’s chief astronaut, has clocked in time handling the Canadarm on the space shuttle Discovery and was the first Canuck to set foot on the International Space Station. She’ll open the night with an address about how cool space is and stuff. Speaking of the CSA, they’re hooking the OM up with some freaked-out space footage to accompany the music—giving the rave scene cause for serious jealousy. No word yet on whether freeze-dried carrot paste in aluminum tubes will be on sale at the snack bar. :

At Théatre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts, on Monday, Feb. 25, 7:30pm, $10–37