On March 29, 30 and 31, Houston Symphony Principal Cello Brinton Averil Smith performs Eugen d’Albert’s passionate Cello Concerto. In this post, Brinton explains how a great cellist of the past inspired him to champion this unknown masterpiece. Get tickets and more information here. Eugen d’Albert’s Cello Concerto is something of a novelty today. Even most … Continued
On March 8, 9 and 10, the Houston Symphony presents a delectable all-French program featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and Debussy’s La mer. In this post, Grammy Award®-winning conductor Ludovic Morlot introduces listeners to this sumptuous repertoire. Get tickets and more information here. Bach. Beethoven. Brahms. Classical concert life is often dominated by Teutonic geniuses, but throughout history, … Continued
On March 29, 30 and 31, the Houston Symphony presents Carl Orff’s spectacular masterpiece, Carmina Burana. Houston Symphony Principal Cello Brinton Averil Smith opens the concert with d’Albert’s passionate Cello Concerto. In this post, discover this virtuoso cello showpiece and the stormy love-life of the composer who wrote it. Get tickets and more information here. Even … Continued
On March 15, 16 and 17, classical superstar Joshua Bell returns to the Houston Symphony to play/conduct an all-Beethoven program. In this post, discover Beethoven’s delightful Fourth Symphony, a lighthearted masterpiece full of mischievous musical jokes. Get tickets and more information here. Though the sketchbook for Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony has been lost, surviving evidence suggests that Beethoven … Continued
On March 15, 16 and 17, classical superstar Joshua Bell returns to the Houston Symphony to play/conduct an all-Beethoven program. In this post, discover Beethoven’s one-and-only Violin Concerto, one of his most deeply-felt and satisfying masterpieces. Get tickets and more information here. In 1794, the 14-year-old prodigy Franz Clement was already long-established as one of … Continued
On March 8, 9 and 10, the Houston Symphony presents a delectable all-French program featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and Debussy’s La mer. In this post, discover how Debussy’s masterpiece revolutionized orchestral music. Get tickets and more information here. Revolutionaries are often brash, noisy characters, iconoclasts intent on shattering traditions; Debussy, however, was a quiet revolutionary. Rather than … Continued
On March 8, 9 and 10, the Houston Symphony presents a delectable all-French program featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, Debussy’s La mer and other French musical masterpieces. In this post, discover Roussel’s Suite from Le Festin d’araignée (The Spider’s Feast), a gem of impressionist ballet. Get tickets and more information here. One of the leading French composers of … Continued
On March 8, 9 and 10, the Houston Symphony presents a delectable all-French program featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham singing one of her signature pieces: Berlioz’ Les nuits d’été. In this post, discover how Berlioz’ turbulent personal life may have influenced this gorgeous, Romantic song cycle. Get tickets and more information here. After years of stalking his celebrity … Continued
On March 8, 9 and 10, the Houston Symphony presents a delectable all-French program featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and Debussy’s La mer. Berlioz’ spirited Overture to Béatrice et Bénédict opens the concerts. In this post, discover how Shakespeare inspired Berlioz’ final operatic masterpiece. Get tickets and more information here. The Gospel saying that “No prophet … Continued
This Valentine’s Day weekend (February 15, 16 and 17), the Houston Symphony pays tribute to one of the greatest singers of the twentieth century: Ella Fitzgerald. Get tickets and more information about these concerts here. While nearly everyone has heard of Ella Fitzgerald, few know of the remarkable path she took to become a legend … Continued
On February 28 and March 2 and 3, the Houston Symphony welcomes former music director Christoph Eschenbach back to Jones Hall to conduct Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony. In this post, discover the “Romantic” tale hidden in its music. Get tickets and more information about the concerts here. In February 1881, the Vienna Philharmonic began rehearsing a symphony … Continued
On February 28 and March 2 and 3, the Houston Symphony welcomes violinist Jennifer Koh back to Jones Hall to play Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Violin Concerto. In this post, discover what makes this work a contemporary masterpiece. Get tickets and more information about the concerts here. (Header photo: Minna Hatinen / Finnish National Opera and Ballet) Carrying on in … Continued
January 17 is Get to Know Your Patrons Day, so to celebrate, we decided to get to know one of the Houston Symphony’s biggest fans a little better. In this post, meet longtime Classical Series subscriber George C. John. Thank you to all of our loyal patrons and donors. Your support makes everything we do … Continued
On January 24, 26 and 27, internationally renowned violinist Baiba Skride returns to Houston to play Korngold’s virtuoso Violin Concerto. In this post, discover how the master film composer of Hollywood’s golden age transformed his movie themes into one of the best-loved concertos of the 20th century. Get tickets and more information here. Whenever Korngold … Continued
On January 24, 26 and 27, Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada returns to Houston to lead the orchestra in a program featuring Ravel’s La valse. In this post, discover how this dazzling orchestral showpiece has inspired intense debate about its true meaning. Get tickets and more information here. Music is a famously subjective art form; different … Continued
On January 24, 26 and 27, Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the Houston Symphony continue their exploration of Charles Ives’ Fourth Symphony. In this post, discover the traditional protestant hymns that inspired the serene third movement of this watershed symphony. Get tickets and more information here. Ives’ Fourth Symphony is his crowning achievement, the summation … Continued
On January 4, 5 and 6, conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane performs Gershwin’s legendary Rhapsody in Blue in its rarely heard original form for jazz band and piano. In this post, discover the circumstances surrounding the genesis of this iconic masterpiece. Get tickets and more information here. On January 3, 1924, the Gershwin brothers were … Continued
On January 4, 5 and 6, conductor and pianist Jeffrey Kahane returns to the Houston Symphony for a program of classical pieces inspired by jazz and popular music, including Timo Andres’ Paraphrase on Themes of Brian Eno. In this post, discover how Andres transforms Eno’s late-’70s alt-rock melodies into a piece of orchestral music. Get … Continued
On January 4, 5 and 6, Jeffrey Kahane returns to Jones Hall to play and conduct not only Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, but also Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. In this post, learn more about this enchanting work, one of Ravel’s final masterpieces. Get tickets and more information about the concert here. Ravel had long … Continued
We often think of classical and popular music as belonging to distinct, separate worlds, but for most of history this was not the case. In the Jazz Age especially, classical composers often made allusions to popular music; likewise, many popular songwriters would have a symphony stashed away to work on in their spare time. Perhaps … Continued