Niccolò Paganini was perhaps the most influential violinist in the history of music. His tours across Europe from 1829-1834 astonished audiences; many of his compositions were so difficult that initially only he could play them. He not only revolutionized violin playing, but also inspired composers that followed him to make virtuoso technique a central part … Continued
The Houston Symphony announced today the launch of a new, redesigned version of its website, houstonsymphony.org. Key features of the site include a cleaner, more attractive design and intuitive improvements to navigation and search for the ultimate user-friendly experience. Created with the user experience front-of-mind, the website has been streamlined for users to get the … Continued
You may not have heard of it, but it’s kind of like the European “Grammy.” It’s called the ECHO Klassik Award. The Houston Symphony was awarded the distinguished 2017 ECHO Klassik Award for Best Opera Recording (20th/21st Century Opera), for their recording of Wozzeck. Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck is about a soldier who commits a murder out of jealousy – a tragedy full of … Continued
Sergey Prokofiev composed his Fifth Symphony during the fateful summer of 1944. Though the Second World War was still raging, the tide had turned in the Allies’ favor. The Soviets were pushing back the Nazis from their borders, and the US and British Allies had landed on the beaches of Normandy in June. Prokofiev in … Continued
When Mozart set out to write three symphonies in the summer of 1788, he could not have known that they would be his last essays in the genre. He was eager to bring in much needed additional income, as the Vienna premiere of his opera Don Giovanni in the spring had not been an unequivocal success. The … Continued
1816 was a busy year for Franz Schubert. He composed approximately 200 compositions, including a mass, various other sacred choral works, his Fourth and Fifth Symphonies, an overture, two concertante works for violin and orchestra, at least two string quartets, three violin sonatas, various other chamber works, two piano sonatas, numerous dances and dozens of … Continued