Such stuff as dreams are made on: Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest

Above: Detail from John William Waterhouse’s Miranda–The Tempest. On October 26, 27 and 28, acclaimed guest conductor Fabien Gabel leads Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, a program of musical storytelling featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Korngold and Bernard Herrmann. Learn more about Tchaikovsky’s The Tempest, a vivid tone poem inspired by Shakespeare’s famous play that will be featured on … Continued

Great Escape: Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto

On October 26, 27 and 28, acclaimed guest conductor Fabien Gabel leads Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, featuring violinist Karen Gomyo. In this post, learn more about Tchaikovsky’s Romantic masterpiece and the surprising relationship that inspired it. Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto in March 1878 while staying amid the breathtaking mountains of Clarens, Switzerland on Lake Geneva. The … Continued

Houston Symphony Halloween Hijinks

As Halloween approaches, Houstonians across the city are stocking up on candy and getting their costumes ready. Many Houston Symphony musicians get especially excited about this gleefully ghoulish holiday. We asked them about their favorite costumes, ghost stories and music for Halloween. Here’s what they had to say. Robin Kesselman, principal double bass Is there … Continued

The Mozart of Hollywood: Korngold’s Suite from The Sea Hawk

On October 26, 27 and 28, acclaimed guest conductor Fabien Gabel leads Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, a program of musical storytelling featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Korngold and Bernard Herrmann. Learn more about innovative film composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold and his swashbuckling Suite from The Sea Hawk, which concludes the program. Erich Wolfgang Korngold began his career as … Continued

Wolfgang’s Dark Side: Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor

On October 18, 20 and 21, legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to the Houston Symphony for our Perlman Plays and Conducts program. In addition to performing Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, Perlman will also conduct Mozart’s powerful Symphony No. 40 in G minor. Learn more about this unsurpassed masterpiece in this post. Mozart composed his magnificent … Continued

Radical Romanticism: Schumann’s Symphony No. 4

On October 18, 20 and 21, legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to the Houston Symphony for our Perlman Plays and Conducts program. In addition to performing Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, Perlman will also conduct Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. In this post, learn more Schumann and this fascinating work. Though Robert Schumann’s Symphony in D minor is … Continued

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