HOUSTON, TX (Apr. 7, 2021) — Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to Jones Hall for his first appearance as Houston Symphony Artistic Partner, part of a three-year partnership, with the program All-Beethoven with Itzhak Perlman, featuring radiant Violin Romances, the Coriolan Overture, and Symphony No. 7, Saturday, May 22 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 23 at 2:30 p.m. with the Sunday performance being livestreamed. In-person and livestream tickets for the All-Beethoven with Itzhak Perlman special are now available at houstonsymphony.org/2021season. Part of the Spec’s End of Season Celebration, these performances are generously funded by Texas Commission on the Arts, Bobbie Nau, Margaret Alkek Williams, and The Vaughn Foundation.
“I’m so looking forward to coming to Houston to perform for the Houston audience with the wonderful Houston Symphony. What could be better than a concert of music by Beethoven,” expressed Perlman. “You will hear the Lyrical Beethoven in the two beautiful Romances for violin and orchestra. In Beethoven’s overture to Coriolan, his musical portrayal dealing with the tragic play of Coriolan and then the great Symphony No. 7. This monumental work exemplifies Beethoven’s sense of drama and his obsession with rhythmic tension.”
In a season-long celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday, the Symphony and Perlman close out the month of May with treasured and brilliant masterworks by one of the most admired composers in history. The program opens with the world-renowned, Grammy award-winning violinist, bringing his trademark artistry and heartfelt music-making to two violin romances by Beethoven: his Romance No. 1 and Romance No. 2. The program continues with Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture, inspired by Shakespeare’s five-act tragedy Coriolanus. To close out the commemorative program, Perlman leads the orchestra in Beethoven’s celebratory Symphony No. 7, one of the most popular works by the composer.
ALL-BEETHOVEN WITH ITZHAK PERLMAN
Saturday, May 22, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 23, at 2:30 p.m. *
Itzhak Perlman, conductor and violin
Beethoven: Romance No. 1
Beethoven: Romance No. 2
Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
*Livestreamed at 2:30 p.m. CT
In-person and livestream tickets are now available for this performance at houstonsymphony.org/2021season. The livestream performance is available via a private link to ticket holders for $20. For patrons attending in person, concerts will continue with no intermission, and food and beverage service will be suspended to eliminate crowding. For a comprehensive list of safety measures, visit houstonsymphony.org/safety. For tickets and information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. All programs and artists are subject to change.
Livestream of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2020–21 Season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its seventh season with Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and continues its second century as one of America’s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring, and recording activities. The Houston Symphony, one of the oldest performing arts organizations in Texas, held its inaugural performance at The Majestic Theater in downtown on Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $25.8 million, the full-time ensemble of 88 professional musicians presents nearly 170 concerts annually, making it the largest performing arts organization in Houston. Additionally, musicians of the orchestra and the Symphony’s two Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 1,000 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches reaching more than 200,000 people in Greater Houston annually.
In March 2020, local and state government mandates dictated a full closure of the Houston Symphony’s activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the cancelation of 219 events in the 2019–20 season. The Symphony resumed activities in May 2020, opening the 2021–22 season on schedule in September 2021 with small audiences of 150, which the Symphony was gradually able to increase to its current COVID capacity of 450 audience members per performance. Due to the financial impact of the canceled 2019–20 season events, plus the reduction of sales capacity due to audience social distancing in 2020–21, the Symphony cut expenses, reducing the annual budget from $35.2 million in 2019–20 to $25.8 million in 2020-21. The Houston Symphony’s Education and Community Engagement team continues to fulfill its mission through creative and virtual means throughout this period.
The Grammy Award-winning Houston Symphony has recorded under various prestigious labels, including Koch International Classics, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, Virgin Classics, and, most recently, Dutch recording label Pentatone. In 2017, the Houston Symphony was awarded an ECHO Klassik award for the live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck under the direction of former Music Director Hans Graf. The orchestra earned its first Grammy nomination and Grammy Award at the 60th annual ceremony for the same recording in the Best Opera Recording category.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Eric Skelly: 713.337.8560, eric.skelly@houstonsymphony.org
Mireya Reyna: 713.337.8557, mireya.reyna@houstonsymphony.org
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