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Dreaming of the al fresco concerts of summer? Bridgeport's Discovery Museum gives an indoor preview with its "To the Stars and Back" concert on Jan. 22 at 6:30 p.m. The stars come via the Museum's Henry B. duPont III Planetarium and the music, courtesy of a talented quartet, Music Haven. A star show accompanies the music which includes "Tenebrae," an original work by Osvaldo Golijov. Written in 2000, the piece was partly inspired by a visit to New York's planetarium. Also on the program is Philip Glass's 1991 work, "String Quartet No. 5." Golijov, born in 1960, grew up in Argentina. He moved to Israel to continue his music studies, but his works are much admired and showcased across the globe. In 2010, his work "The St. Mark Passion" was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A recording of his songs, featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw, won two Grammy awards. He has been recognized with many awards, including being tapped to receive a MacArthur fellowship and the Vilcek Prize, awarded yearly in different arts discipline. Other recipients have included director Mike Nichols and artists Christo and Jeanne Claude.
About his work "Tenebrae," Golijov has said, "I wrote Tenebrae as a consequence of witnessing two contrasting realities in a short period of time in September 2000. I was in Israel at the start of the new wave of violence that is still continuing today, and a week later I took my son to the new planetarium in New York, where we could see the Earth as a beautiful blue dot in space. I wanted to write a piece that could be listened to from different perspectives. That is, if one chooses to listen to it 'from afar', the music would probably offer a "beautiful" surface but, from a metaphorically closer distance, one could hear that, beneath that surface, the music is full of pain."
A discussion of the musical program of "To the Stars and Back" follows the performance. Tickets are $15 and should be reserved by Jan. 20. Proceeds benefit the Museum and Music Haven. Light refreshments will be served. For tickets call (203) 372-3521 or visit the Museum's website.
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