It’s hard to believe that is was just fifty years ago, the United States of America successfully sent astronauts to the moon – a first in world history. Something that we now take for granted, we sometimes forget the incredible journey it took to get there. We sometimes forget about the trek in space itself and the bravery in each astronaut, but also the teams of engineers, the trials and errors and the importance that America be the first to put a man on the moon. To celebrate this amazing accomplishment, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) performed “The Greatest Hits of the Galaxy” at Symphony Hall. It was the first of, hopefully, many more performances in Chicago by this gifted orchestra.
Fiercely conducted by Benjamin Northey, the orchestra beautifully played several of our favorite space movie classics including a handful of John Williams’ Star Wars scores, the unforgettable theme from E.T. and even the opening song for Lost in Space. While the orchestra’s flawless music circulated throughout the venue, projections were displayed on the theater’s walls and ceiling that would, with the slightest bit of imagination, take us on a space journey of our own. At the same time, video was displayed on a large screen above the orchestra that would also match the music being played sometimes showing imagery of zooming through the universe, sometimes displaying video of the actual space travel of the historic plight to the moon and, towards the end, a tribute to all the teams that have participated in space travel.
Hosting this spectacular event was George Takei, best known for Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek. Takei came out to introduce each number, joke with the audience and relive some of his own fascinating stories. He also introduced special guests that included jazz legend (from Chicago) Kurt Elling, superstar trumpeter James Morrison and astronaut Charlie Duke. Elling, who has performed with MSO in Australia, wowed the crowd with his rendition “Come Fly with Me” before ending the evening with James Morrison and MSO with a touching version of “What a Wonderful World” that would have made Louis Armstrong very proud. (Elling will be performing at Symphony Center May 1s 2020).
The night was full of highlights. Each number was a highlight as was each appearance by George Takei, James Morrison and Kurt Elling. But perhaps the biggest moment was when Charlie Duke took the stage and the crowd took to their feet with a long, heartfelt ovation. Duke, the youngest astronaut to have walked on the moon, piloted the Apollo 16 in 1972 and has spent 265 hours in space. The banter between Takei and Duke was priceless and they talked about the influence that Star Trek had on future space travelers and, of course, what is was like to actually walk on the moon and other interesting tidbits of his 11-day space journey. “I didn’t want to come back,” Duke laughed. Duke also stated that he believes we are on the cusp of space tourism. “Well, I hope they hurry,” joked Takei. “I want to go there for real.”
After watching the painstaking details of getting a man to the moon and the time and dangers involved, Takei humored, "Wow. It seems like so much work. All we had to do was beam up and beam down."
“The Galaxy’s Greatest Hits” was truly an out-of-the-world experience and a one-of-a-kind production that will be etched in the memory of each attendee.
