A Sequel to Rhapsody in Blue: Gershwin’s Piano Concerto

On September 27, 28, and 29, Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada presents Gershwin’s Piano Concerto & Porgy and Bess, a concert of 20th-century masterpieces from the Western hemisphere. Our guest artist is world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who performs Gershwin’s jazzy Piano Concerto in F. In this post, discover this uniquely American showpiece for piano and orchestra. … Continued

The Firebirds and the Bees: Stravinsky’s Scherzo fantastique

After a dazzling, all-Russian program for our Opening Night Concert, featuring Yefim Bronfman performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, we continue to explore the music of the Tsars’ realm when Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada returns to conduct our first Classical Series concert of the 2019–20 Season: Stravinsky’s Firebird, September 19, 21, and 22. The concert opens … Continued

Roman Holiday: Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien

On September 14, the Houston Symphony officially begins its 2019–20 Season with a spectacular Opening Night Concert of Russian classics, including Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Yefim Bronfman. In this post, discover Tchaikovsky’s colorful Capriccio Italien, a perennial audience favorite. Visit houstonsymphony.org for tickets and more information. Italy was one of Tchaikovsky’s favorite travel destinations—once he had … Continued

The Ultimate Russian Fairytale: Stravinsky’s The Firebird

After a dazzling, all-Russian program for our Opening Night Concert, featuring Yefim Bronfman performing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, we continue to explore the music of the Tsars’ realm when Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada returns to conduct our first Classical Series concert of the 2019–20 Season: Stravinsky’s Firebird, September 19, 21, and 22. In this post (a revised … Continued

The Birth of Russian Music: Glinka’s Kamarinskaya

On September 14, the Houston Symphony officially begins its 2019–20 Season with a spectacular Opening Night Concert of Russian classics, including Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Yefim Bronfman. Beneath the soulful melodies and glittering orchestral sonorities, guest conductor Leonard Slatkin has cleverly arranged the program as a mini-lesson in the history of Russian music. … Continued

Houston Symphony Musicians’ Top Picks for the 2019–20 Season

While gearing up for the start of our 2019–20 season in September, we asked our musicians which concerts they are most excited about this year. From Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Mahler’s epic Seventh Symphony to Hamilton’s Renée Elise Goldsberry and John Williams’s classics, discover what Houston Symphony musicians are most looking forward to! CLASSICAL … Continued