Have you booked your seats on the San Francisco Symphony's upcoming extraterrestrial excursion? From April 26-29, the SF Symphony is launching Cosmic Wonders, a journey to the reaches of our solar system in concert with the Women of the SF Symphony Chorus.

The out-of-this-world program showcases The Planets, written by English composer Gustav Holst between 1914 and 1916. The orchestral suite paints vivid audio portraits of each celestial body that was then known, humanizing their diverse, ancient astrological traits.

Throughout the journey, adventurous listeners will head into battle on warmongering Mars, celebrate the good times on jolly Jupiter and lay down their burdens on weighty Saturn. Fans of composer John Williams (Superman, Star Wars, Jaws), will recognize (and appreciate) Holst's influence.

Rounding out the program, performances will also include "Siegfried's Rhine Journey" from Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung, and Franz Liszt's "Piano Concerto No. 2."

Cosmic Wonders lifts off at 8pm on Thursday, April 26, and Friday, April 27, and again at 2pm Sunday, April 29 at Davies Symphony Hall. Tickets are available online now.

Listeners are also invited to attend the pre-show discussion Visual Soundscapes, which will explore how two masters—Holst and Franz Liszt—created such visual fantasy worlds in audience's minds. The free discussions will be held one hour before each performance on the First-Tier Lobby in Davies Symphony Hall.