Jimmy López Bellido's Symphony No. 2, "Ad Astra," is an homage to humanity's spirit of exploration, specifically through iconic NASA missions.
Composition History
Symphony No. 2: Ad Astra was commissioned by the Houston Symphony under Maestro Andrés Orozco-Estrada's Music Directorship and is dedicated to the people of NASA.
Performer Biography
Leticia Moreno, the violinist on this album, plays a 1762 Nicola Gagliano instrument.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Jimmy López Bellido, the composer, was inspired to write "Aurora" after witnessing the aurora borealis (northern lights) during his years in Finland.
Compositional Technique
The first movement of "Ad Astra," titled "Voyager," begins with a solo vibraphone conveying the words 'Ad Astra' in Morse code.
Compositional Technique
The Latin phrase 'per aspera ad astra' ('through hardship to the stars'), embedded in the Voyager space probes, serves as a rhythmic motif throughout the first movement of "Ad Astra."
Composition History
The concerto "Aurora" marks Jimmy López Bellido's first collaboration with Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada as composer-in-residence of the Houston Symphony.
