Star Trekking with the RSNO

Yes, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s (RSNO) annual Children’s Classic Concerts finds presenters Owen Gunnell and Oliver Cox in the middle of a Jedi versus Sith on-stage battle and coming face to face with everyone’s favourite extra-terrestrials, in Space Invaders.

Together with Scotland’s very own UFO (Utterly Fabulous Orchestra) and Captain of the Starship (conductor), Christian Kluxen, Owen and Olly will be blasting off on an intergalactic musical voyage exploring the universe and beyond.

Witness the power of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) as it propels Owen and Olly through the space-time continuum. Can ET help them find their way home? Can they survive a Close Encounter with an enemy life-form?

Cox says, “Owen and I can’t wait to blast off on our latest adventure with the RSNO. We’ve got some great surprises planned to keep everyone entertained and we’re looking forward to doing a bit of playing ourselves too, which is always a treat with such a fantastic orchestra and with Christian conducting.”

The space-themed concert ‘from a galaxy far away’ features a mix of classical music and film scores. The Star Wars piece will be John Williams’ Duel of the Fates, from The Phantom Menace, the battle brought to life by drama students while ET’s flying theme, also by Williams, will bring a familiar warmth to proceedings.

Other pieces are Jupiter from The Planets (Holst), UFO – 2nd movement (Michael Daugherty), Concerto featuring percussionists Owen and Olly, Short Ride in a fast Machine (Adams), Mars from The Planets (Holst), Clair de Lune, from Suite Bergamasque (Debussy), Space Medley (Andrew Cottee) again featuring Owen and Olly and Galop from William Tell (Rossini).

Space Invaders, Usher Hall, Lothian Road, Sunday, 3pm, £6-£15, 0131-228 1155