Into The Stratosphere

Alexander Shelley conducts the National Arts Centre Orchestra in this performance of Richard Strauss' incredible 1896 tone poem. With its unforgettable opening fanfare and heart-stopping movements, it has since become synonymous with space exploration and the cosmos after Stanley Kubrick chose it as the theme for his seminal 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Zarathustra is not the only classical classic on this program, with Claude Debussy's seafaring masterpiece La Mer, and 1Q84: Sinfonietta Metamoderna by Indigenous Canadian composer Ian Cusson, who explores through music identity and history of the Indigenous peoples of Canada. A varied and exciting program from the NAC Orchestra!