The year following Leonard Bernstein’s legendary debut as a conductor with the New York Philharmonic was one of seemingly miraculous success for the 25-year-old musician. After filling in for an ailing Bruno Walter on November 14, 1943, he became one of America’s most sought-after guest conductors, and by April he was conducting the premiere of … Continued
Culture wars, political dysfunction and rising ethnic tensions—these were the problems that plagued Austria-Hungary in the 1880s, and the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák would be caught in the cross-hairs. The immediate problems of the 1880s had deep roots, however; for centuries, Czech lands had been ruled by the Austrian Hapsburg monarchy, and Czech peoples were often relegated … Continued
Orchestra musicians love touring. The notion that the orchestra is building bridges, making connections, drawing together a diversity of people through music—while also enjoying ovations, sightseeing, history, and culture—make tours a memorable part of any musician’s career. For a while, every musician is removed from everyday concerns—laundry, dishes, what’s for dinner, traffic—and can really focus … Continued
February 2, 3 and 4, percussion rock star Colin Currie joins the Houston Symphony to perform American composer John Corigliano’s Conjurer for Percussion, Strings (and optional Brass). Who could provide a better introduction to this landmark percussion concerto than the composer himself? He did just that at a lecture at the University of British Columbia … Continued
By the spring of 1939, war between Britain and Germany seemed increasingly inevitable. Hitler annexed Czechoslovakia in March, putting an end to Neville Chamberlain’s declaration of “peace for our time.” As a committed pacifist and a homosexual who would have been barred from service and imprisoned had his orientation been revealed, Benjamin Britten decided to … Continued
Not long after the triumphant St. Petersburg premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony in 1878, the composer received a letter from a woman who had recently become one of the most important people in his life. Nadezhda von Meck was the immensely wealthy widow of one of Russia’s first railroad magnates, and was an ardent admirer … Continued
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