HOUSTON (Jan. 9, 2020) – Finnish conductor John Storgårds returns to the Houston Symphony to conduct Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique and internationally recognized violinist Vadim Gluzman in the program Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” at 8 p.m. Jan. 17 & 18 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 19. This performance marks the North American premiere performances of Midnight Sun Variations, a new work dedicated to Storgårds by Finnish composer Outi Tarkiainen.
Violin virtuoso Gluzman takes center stage in Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 2. These will be the first time the Houston Symphony has performed this concerto by the venerable Russian composer. Written for the famed violinist David Oistrakh, it’s the last concerto Shostakovich composed, an example of his mature, more profound late style, compared to his flashier first violin concerto.
Opening the program, Storgårds conducts the Midnight Sun Variations by Finnish composer, Outi Tarkiainen. Midnight Sun Variation premiered in at the BBC Proms in August with conductor Storgårds, to whom the piece is dedicated. To close out the program, the Symphony under the direction of Storgårds performs Tchaikovsky’s final masterwork, Symphony No. 6, Pathétique. Named for its passionate and emotional character, the Pathétique was described by Tchaikovsky as his best and “most sincere” work.
In addition, Storgårds joins Symphony musicians in a chamber music performance of Mendelssohn’s String Octet at Live Oak Friends Meeting Skyspace on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. as a part of the Houston Symphony’s Chamber Music Series. The Chamber Music Series is made possible in part by the generous support from: Robin Angly and Miles Smith, Nancy and Walter Bratic, Eugene Fong, Gary L. Hollingsworth and Kenneth J. Hyde, Ms. Leslie Nossaman, Mr. and Mrs. Mark Nuccio, Ed and Janet Rinehart, and Bobby and Phoebe Tudor.
Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique,” sponsored by Frost Bank Classics, takes place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston’s Theater District. For tickets and information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday–Saturday, 12–6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.
TCHAIKOVSKY’S PATHÉTIQUE
Friday, Jan. 17, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2:30 p.m.
John Storgårds, conductor
Vadim Gluzman, violin
Outi Tarkiainen: Midnight Sun Variations (N. American premiere)
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, Pathétique
About John Storgårds
Chief guest conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and principal guest conductor of Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, John Storgårds has a dual career as a conductor and violin virtuoso. As artistic director of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra for more than 25 years, John earned global critical acclaim for the ensemble’s adventurous performances and award-winning recordings.
Internationally, Storgårds appears with Europe’s leading orchestras, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra where he was chief conductor (2008–15). Further afield, he is a regular guest with the Sydney, Melbourne, and NHK Symphony Orchestra. He made his North American debut with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra during the 2005–06 season and has since appeared with the continent’s top orchestras.
This season’s highlights in Europe include a return with the BBC Philharmonic, followed by a major European tour and returns with the Oslo Philharmonic, Bamberg Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra in Vienna and on tour in Asia.
Storgårds’s repertoire includes all of the symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mozart, Nielsen, Schubert, Schumann, and Sibelius as well as works by today’s leading composers, including world premieres of works by Kaija Saariaho, Brett Dean, Per Nørgård, and Pēteris Vasks. In the opera house, he led the world premiere production of Sebastian Fagerlund’s Höstsonaten (Autumn Sonata) at the Finnish National Opera; it was a finalist at the 2018 International Opera Awards.
His wide-ranging and award-winning discography includes the complete symphonies of Sibelius (2014) and Nielsen (2015) with the BBC Philharmonic (Chandos). His most recent recordings are works by American avant-garde composer George Antheil with the BBC Philharmonic and an acclaimed recording (Bis) of Mahler’s Symphony No. 10 with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra. Additional recordings include discs of works by Nørgård, Korngold, Aho, and Rautavaara, the latter receiving a Grammy nomination and a Gramophone Award in 2012.
Storgårds studied violin with Chaim Taub and became the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster under Esa-Pekka Salonen before studying conducting with Jorma Panula and Eri Klas at the Sibelius Academy. He received the Finnish State Prize for Music (2002) and the Pro Finlandia Prize (2012).
About Vadim Gluzman
Universally recognized among today’s top performing artists, Vadim Gluzman brings to life the glorious violin tradition of the 19th and 20th centuries. His performances of a wide repertoire are heard around the world through live broadcasts and a striking catalogue of award-winning recordings exclusively for the BIS label.
The Israeli violinist regularly appears with major orchestras throughout the world. He collaborates with leading conductors, including Riccardo Chailly, Christoph von Dohnányi, Tugan Sokhiev, Sir Andrew Davis, Neeme Järvi, Michael Tilson Thomas, Semyon Bychkov, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Paavo Järvi, and Hannu Lintu. Festival appearances include performances at Lockenhaus, Ravinia, Tanglewood, Verbier, and Chicago’s North Shore Chamber Music Festival, founded by Vadim and his wife and recital partner, pianist Angela Yoffe.
Highlights of his 2019–20 season include performances with Orchestre de Paris under Tugan Sokhiev and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, concerts with the Houston Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Detroit and Lucerne Symphony Orchestras, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Dresden Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Weimar, and Orchestre National de Lyon. He will lead the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra in Columbus, Ohio, where he serves as creative partner and principal guest artist.
This season, Gluzman gives the world premieres of a new violin concerto by Erkki-Sven Tüür with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony under Andris Poga; Joshua Roman’s Double Concerto with the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, conducted by David Danzmayr; Moritz Eggert’s Mir mit Dir at the Kronberg Academy Festival; as well as the UK premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s Triple Concerto with BBC Philharmonic under Omer Meir Wellber. He has given live and recorded premieres of other works by Gubaidulina, as well as Giya Kancheli, Elena Firsova, Pēteris Vasks, Michael Daugherty, and most recently, Lera Auerbach.
Accolades for his extensive discography include the Diapason d’Or, Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice, Classica magazine’s Choc de Classica award, and Disc of the Month by The Strad, BBC Music Magazine, Classic FM, and others.
Distinguished artist-in-residence at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Gluzman performs on the legendary 1690 “ex-Leopold Auer” Stradivari on extended loan to him through the generosity of the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
About the Houston Symphony
During the 2019–20 season, the Houston Symphony celebrates its sixth 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 Houston June 21, 1913. Today, with an annual operating budget of $35.2 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 four Community-Embedded Musicians offer over 1,000 community-based performances each year at various schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches reaching nearly 200,000 people in Greater Houston annually.
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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