The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Webern: Im Sommerwind

On March 26, 28, and 29, conductor Matthias Pintscher and pianist Cédric Tiberghien team up for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, an eclectic program of works by Mozart, Debussy, and Webern. In this post, discover Webern’s Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Wind), a lush orchestral tone poem inspired by the glories of the Austrian landscape. … Continued

Postcards from England, Spain, and France: Debussy’s Images

On March 26, 28, and 29, conductor Matthias Pintscher and pianist Cédric Tiberghien team up for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, an eclectic program of works by Mozart, Debussy, and Webern. In this post, discover Debussy’s delightful Images for orchestra, a series of musical pictures inspired by England, Spain, and France. Composed between 1906 and 1912, … Continued

Mozart’s Dark Side: The Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor

On March 26, 28, and 29, conductor Matthias Pintscher and pianist Cédric Tiberghien team up for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20, an eclectic program of works by Mozart, Debussy, and Webern. In this post, discover Mozart’s dark and stormy Piano Concerto No. 20, possibly the composer’s most popular work for piano and orchestra. In keeping with … Continued

Echoes of the Rhine: Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, Rhenish

This month, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week Schumann Festival featuring the great Romantic composer’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and more. In this post, discover Schumann’s sunny Symphony No. 3. Nicknamed the “Rhenish” Symphony, it was composed while Schumann was living near the scenic Rhine River. Composed in just over a month in November … Continued

A Lost Masterpiece: Schumann’s Cello Concerto

This month, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week Schumann Festival featuring the great Romantic composer’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and more. In this post, discover Schumann’s masterful Cello Concerto, a work that was only recognized long after Schumann’s death. One of the first compositions Schumann completed after his arrival in Düsseldorf was his Cello Concerto. Curiously, … Continued

The Clara Code: Schumann’s Piano Concerto

This month, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week Schumann Festival featuring the great Romantic composer’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and more. In this post, discover how Schumann may have secretly encoded his wife’s name into his passionate Piano Concerto. Composed in a mere two weeks in May 1841 (between the premiere of the First Symphony and … Continued