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
This season, the Houston Symphony welcomes a new Composer-in-Residence, Jimmy López Bellido. Born in Peru, trained in Finland and currently living in San Francisco, López’ star has been on the rise in recent years, most notably with the high-profile world premiere of his opera Bel Canto at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Get to know the man behind … Continued
Students and teachers across Houston faced many challenges during the first weeks of the school year as they dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Late starts, damaged facilities, and the stress of uncertainty permeated campuses throughout the region. Despite the late start to the school year, Crespo Elementary students are eager to embrace a new year of … Continued
Houston has weathered many storms, but Hurricane Harvey was unprecedented. Catastrophic flooding shut down our city for over a week, and many areas are still struggling to return to normal. Houston’s Theater District was not exempt; our home, Jones Hall, was fortunately spared the worst of the flooding, although it still suffered significant damage. While … Continued
Following the success of the recently opened St. Petersburg Conservatory, the first institution of its kind in Russia, a second conservatory opened in Moscow in 1866. Among the new professors was one of the first graduates of the St. Petersburg school: a young composer named Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. A large proportion of the Moscow Conservatory’s … Continued
Dmitri Shostakovich’s First Symphony may be the greatest graduation project of all time. Composed at the age of 18, Shostakovich’s First Symphony was written to fulfill the graduation requirements of the Leningrad Conservatory (earning him the equivalent of a college music degree), and would take the international music world by storm the following year. But … Continued
For three years, Mahler had composed almost nothing. His first three gargantuan symphonies had only met with sporadic success, if they were performed at all, and he was consumed with the Herculean task of his new job: running Vienna’s Imperial Opera. Mahler was determined to transform the declining institution into a musical and theatrical experience … Continued
In 1891, Mrs. Jeannette Thurber, an energetic American philanthropist and music lover, had a great triumph: she convinced the world-renowned Czech composer Antonin Dvořák to be the new director of her National Conservatory of Music in New York City. For his arrival the following year, she commissioned him to write a piece for the 400th anniversary … Continued
As Gabriel Lena Frank’s productive three year tenure as the Houston Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence comes to a close, this Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated composer has been preparing one of her most ambitious projects to date. Frank’s new Conquest Requiem calls for a large orchestra and chorus, plus soprano and baritone soloists. This is a big piece … Continued
Principal POPS Conductor Michael Krajewski is approaching his final Rocky-accompanied entrances onto the Jones Hall stage. Following 17 seasons and hundreds of Houston Symphony concerts, Mike will step down from the position at the end of the 2016-17 season after bringing unparalleled enthusiasm, creative programs, exciting musical arrangements and his wry wit to the Houston … Continued
A mechanical engineer by training, Kobie Boykins has worked on projects from Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rovers to Ocean Surface Topography Mission over more than ten years at the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. On Tuesday, April 18, 2017, Boykins comes to Jones Hall to share his amazing stories and give us the latest updates on … Continued
Scandal has rocked the Houston Symphony after an anonymous source leaked disturbing photos that appear to depict a physical confrontation between Houston Symphony Principal Cellist Brinton Averil Smith and world-renowned cello superstar Yo-Yo Ma. The attack is alleged to have occurred after Ma’s sold-out, one-night-only appearance with the Houston Symphony last February. The cause of … Continued
What do Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony have in common? Answer: All three pieces went unplayed for decades only to become concert hall staples when rediscovered by later generations. This same process of musical rebirth will unfold at Jones Hall this April when Principal Cellist Brinton Averil Smith performs a … Continued
Meet Ingrid Fliter! This internationally renowned Argentinian pianist joins the Houston Symphony on March 9, 11 & 12 for performances of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Get to know our special guest with these fun questions. Calvin Dotsey: What’s one thing most people don’t realize about playing the piano? Ingrid Fliter: That it is indeed … Continued
On March 9, 11 & 12, the Houston Symphony welcomes acclaimed conductor Fabien Gabel back to Jones Hall for an exciting program of Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn. Get to know our guest maestro with these fun (and surprising!) questions. Calvin Dotsey: What’s one thing most people don’t realize about conducting? Fabien Gabel: How physical it can … Continued