Utah Symphony launches season inspired by canyons and stars

Music director Thierry Fischer threads movements of Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles … (From the canyons to the stars …) through eight programs in a 1919-20 concert season dedicated to Utah’s natural wonder, beginning with “Ce qui est écrit sur les étoiles” (What is written in the stars). Messiaen’s 1972 visit to Bryce Canyon in southern Utah was the inspiration for the masterpiece. Eventually the complete Des canyons aux étoiles … is destined for the Hyperion label. The live concerts will feature visuals from the Dark Sky Cooperative and various Utah conservancies.