The Score | Sonic Moon Landings

This summer, Americans celebrated the 50th anniversary of the day Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon—and so did orchestras all around the country. A very partial list includes the Houston Symphony’s July 4 program, which saluted NASA and the moon landing with music including Johns Adams’s Short Ride in a Fast Machine and Bill Conti’s music from the film The Right Stuff. Boston Landmarks Orchestra presented “A Symphonic Space Odyssey,” featuring orchestral music inspired by space paired with visuals from the planetarium at Boston’s Museum of Science. Also marking the landing were the Colorado Symphony’s “Lunar Landing 50th Anniversary Celebration,” with music by John Williams; the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s “America in Space” program; Carnegie Hall’s music and multimedia presentation “We Chose To Go to the Moon” with Mark and Kali Armstrong, Neil Armstrong’s son and granddaughter; the Pacific Symphony’s world premiere of Michael Daugherty’s To the New World; the National Symphony Orchestra’s presentation with NASA, “Apollo 11: A 50th Anniversary Celebration—One Small Step, One Giant Leap” at the Kennedy Center with singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams and a new commission by Michael Giacchino. From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, a new work by James Beckel, was performed by multiple orchestras including the Boston Pops; the San Francisco Symphony’s “Out of This World—A Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing,” featured film music by John Williams and a “moon songs” medley, hosted by retired NASA astronaut Leland D. Melvin; and the Florida Orchestra offered “One Giant Leap” interactive family concerts. The Cincinnati Pops released a recording of space-themed works including Holst’s The Planets, Michael Giacchino’s Voyage, and sci-fi and television music by John Williams, Justin Hurwitz, and David Newman.