On January 9, 11, and 12, the Houston Symphony presents Paganini + “Pines of Rome,” a delightful all-Italian program. In this post, learn how the eternal city inspired Respighi’s most celebrated masterpiece, Pines of Rome. Though Respighi completed Pines of Rome during the summer of 1924, in an interview he explained that the piece had been “conceived, … Continued
On January 9, 11, and 12, the Houston Symphony presents Paganini + “Pines of Rome,” a delightful all-Italian program featuring world-renowned violinist Augustin Hadelich, who returns to play Paganini’s virtuoso Violin Concerto No. 1. In this post, discover how Paganini revolutionized violin playing with his unprecedented technique. Sources differ as to when exactly Paganini composed his … Continued
On January 17, 18, and 19, the Houston Symphony presents Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique,” a program of soulful works by Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, and contemporary Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen. In this post, discover Tchaikovsky’s final masterpiece and the complex questions that surround its meaning and interpretation. In 1939, Winston Churchill famously declared that Russia was “a riddle, wrapped … Continued
On January 9, 11, and 12, Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich joins the Houston Symphony for Paganini + “Pines of Rome.” The program features Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a piece that pushed the instrument to its limits. The Symphony’s Calvin Dotsey recently asked Hadelich about Paganini, the work’s virtuoso feats, and more. Calvin Dotsey: How … Continued
If there had been a Billboard Hot 100 Chart in Beethoven’s day, his Seventh Symphony certainly would have been at the top. At its premiere, the work was so well received that it literally stopped the show. More than 200 years later, it remains one of his most popular achievements. As the world celebrates the … Continued
Next month, the Houston Symphony features two remarkable guest artists in some of the repertoire’s most staggeringly difficult works. On January 9, 11, and 12, Augustin Hadelich plays Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 as part of Paganini + “Pines of Rome,” and on January 30 and February 1 and 2, pianist Kirill Gerstein plays two … Continued