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

Texans in Colombia: Notes from Medellín

Above: Principal Double Bass Robin Kesselman works with a student from Medellín, Colombia during a special masterclass. Last week, 35 Houston Symphony musicians journeyed to Medellín, Colombia to help the Orquesta Filarmonica de Medellín celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez with a concert featuring music director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and violinist Hilary Hahn. … Continued

Allegro Espresso: Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor

On October 18, 20 and 21, legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to the Houston Symphony to perform Bach’s exquisite Violin Concerto in A minor as part of our Perlman Plays and Conducts program. In this post, learn how this gem of the violin repertoire was preserved for posterity thanks to one special coffeehouse. The earliest … Continued

The Music of Suspense: Herrmann’s Vertigo Suite

Above: Image adapted from artwork by Saul Bass for the theatrical release poster of Vertigo. 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 Bernard Herrmann and his haunting Suite … Continued