Last February, the Houston Symphony had a hit with Orbit: An HD Odyssey, featuring Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra and Holst’s The Planets accompanied by new, crystal-clear images of our planet released by NASA. Produced and directed by Duncan Copp, the Houston Symphony show went on to have a spectacularly successful tour, and now returns home with a new bag of tricks with Orbit Plus Star Wars, with conductor Tito Muñoz at the helm. In comes John Adams’s catchy Short Ride in a Fast Machine, an appropriately spacey tune. Other additions include music from the scores of Star Wars and E.T.: The Extraterrestrial.
Star Wars aficionados in particular will appreciate Orbit: An HD Odyssey. In addition to all the great music by John Williams, fans will enjoy meeting members of the 501st legion cosplay community, who’ll be on hand for photographs. The group specializes in picture-perfect reproductions of Darth Vader’s stormtrooper gear and has such a stellar reputation for excellence that their legion number appears on official action figures from Revenge of the Sith and in video games. It’s the closest you’re likely to get to meeting a real storm trooper. 7:30 p.m. Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. For information, call 713-227-3974 or visit www.houstonsymphony.org. $25 to $89.
Sat., July 28, 7:30 p.m., 2012