Watch Rodrigo y Gabriela & Austin Symphony Orchestra Perform Anthemic ‘Descending To Nowhere’ On ‘Austin City Limits’

PBS will broadcast the Austin City Limits Season 49 premiere episode this weekend featuring virtuosic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The pair’s powerful performance of “Descending To Nowhere” with the world-class ensemble conducted by Peter Bay that ends the episode premieres here and can be viewed below.

Rodrigo y Gabriela — the duo of Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sánchez — released an excellent new album earlier this year entitled In Between Thoughts…A New World. Sánchez and Quintero played all nine cuts from the record backed by the +30-piece Austin Symphony Orchestra for their first ACL appearance in a decade. Lead single “Descending To Nowhwere” closed out the dynamic set in a big way as the musicians brought the performance to a majestic climax.

The Season 49 premiere marks the first time the long-running live music television series partnered with an orchestra. “We’re always looking for new ways to make history, so after 49 years this is our first collaboration with a symphony, and we found one of the best in our own backyard,” explained ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “The Austin Symphony under Peter Bay’s baton provides a rich, lush accompaniment to the jarring, furious guitar riffs of Rodrigo y Gabriela. It’s pure magic.”

Rodrigo y Gabriela’s Austin City Limits episode premieres on PBS (check local listings) this Saturday, October 7 at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET. Full episodes can be viewed online at pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast.

See Rod y Gab join forces with the Austin Symphony Orchestra on “Descending To Nowhere” below: