Friday Night is Music Night: Celestial Wonders

Friday Night is Music Night: Celestial Wonders invites you to journey beyond the ordinary and into a sonic sky full of shimmering stars, waltzing planets and comets that blaze across the horizon. From the very first note, the BBC Concert Orchestra, led by the brilliant conductor Owain Park, is joined by saxophone superstar Amy Dickson and charismatic presenter Petroc Trelawny. Together they turn a moonrise, a sunset, and the brightest of stars into an unforgettable musical odyssey that feels as bright as the sky itself. The film’s programme is a constellation of familiar favorites and dazzling new discoveries. Experience Dobrinka Tabakova’s “Orpheus' Comet” and Albert Ketelby’s “In The Moonlight,” hear Angela Morley’s dreamy “Starlight” and George Melachino’s luminous “Starlight Roof Waltz.” Let Patric Standford ignite the stage with “Celestial Fire Suite – Waltz,” and admire Joby Talbot’s “The Transit of Venus.” The night deepens with Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” Henry Mancini’s warm “Moon River,” and Josef Strauss’ entrancing “Waltz: Music of the Spheres.” Modern jewels sparkle too: Jessie Montgomery’s “Starburst,” Jean Sibelius’s “Pelleas et Melisande” (theme from The Sky at Night), Missy Mazzoli’s “Sinfonia for Orbiting Spheres,” George Dyson’s “Woodland Suite: III. Moon Fairy,” Lord Berners’ “The Triumph of Neptune Suite: IV. Cloudland,” Jonathon Dove’s “Sunshine,” and Ferde Grofé’s “Grand Canyon Suite: Sunset.” The climax is a luminous “Full Moon Dances – Concerto for Alto Saxophone” by Ross Edwards that celebrates the soaring, learning saxophone moment. Let the music of Grofé, Dove, and the inimitable Lord Berners paint the evening’s glow, and feel your spirits lift as the stars, comets, and planets waltz above you. Whether you’re a lifelong aficionado of Debussy and Munich or new to the heavenly realm of Mancini and Melchitano, this concert film delivers a musical spectacle that echoes the wonder of the cosmos itself. Join us for a perfect day that bursts into a blaze of glorious colour, and witness the magic that truly begins when the night falls. Details & tickets.