The El Paso Symphony Orchestra’s latest program carried audiences from the Plaza Theatre to the outer reaches of the universe through works by Williams, Whitacre and Strauss.

Leah Romero

As the lights dimmed in El Paso’s Plaza Theatre Friday night and Maestro Bohuslav Rattay stepped onto the podium, the El Paso Symphony Orchestra took off, exploring the theme of outer space.

First up on the program was John Williams’ “Adventures on Earth” from the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The melodies were familiar and transported the audience into space, into the movie and back to the first time we each watched the film. For me, that was in childhood, years after the film was originally released.

The triumphant arrangement of themes from the movie triggered bittersweet memories and many emotions, both for the audience and the musicians. Several tears may have been shed.

The lights in the hall went nearly completely black and the overhead screen came down as the symphony prepared to play Eric Whitacre’s Deep Field, accompanied by the film of the same name showcasing “The Impossible Magnitude of Our Universe.” Musicians played exposed melodic lines and chords while the audience journeyed through deep parts of space through images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

I got lost in the combination of the vastness of our universe and the majesty of the musical performance. I was pulled out of my daze as members of the UTEP Concert Chorale appeared on the outer edges of the stage, above the symphony, as images turned back to Earth. And as the telescopic images dwindled and faded, so did the lights on the stage as musicians turned off their lamps and iPads, leaving only the constellations on the ceiling of the Plaza Theatre to light the space. The performance was truly awe inspiring.

The second half of the program was devoted to Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30. Most everyone will recognize the first movement from the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The trumpet section was incredible in introducing the piece to the audience, and I loved seeing the iconic timpani solo performed live. And it was a wonderful treat to listen to and watch the Plaza Theatre’s Wurlitzer pipe organ be played. You could feel the vibrations the notes made as the keys were pressed.

The overall concert was truly a journey from my seat in the mezzanine to the far corners of the universe and back, with time for some introspection as well. Catch the EPSO’s final performance of this concert series tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre, and attend Nathan Black’s Opening Notes in the Philanthropy Theatre to learn how Strauss’ tone poem was actually inspired by the book of the same name by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Leah Romero is a freelance writer based in southern New Mexico. She can be reached at www.LeahRRomero.com.