On April 4, 6, and 7, the Houston Symphony presents a stirring all-Russian program featuring acclaimed Rachmaninoff interpreter Simon Trpčeski in the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 4. In this post, discover the turbulent history behind Rachmaninoff’s final piano concerto. Get tickets and more information here. Composer Interrupted Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto had a lengthy genesis; indeed, by … Continued
On April 4, 6, and 7, the Houston Symphony presents a stirring all-Russian program featuring Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 4 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 3. Opening the concert is Shostakovich’s delightful Ballet Suite No. 1. In this post, discover the turbulent history behind this seemingly carefree music. Get tickets and more information here. Zhdanov’s infamous decree … Continued
On March 8, 9 and 10, the Houston Symphony presents a delectable all-French program featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and Debussy’s La mer. In this post, discover how Debussy’s masterpiece revolutionized orchestral music. Get tickets and more information here. Revolutionaries are often brash, noisy characters, iconoclasts intent on shattering traditions; Debussy, however, was a quiet revolutionary. Rather than … Continued
On March 8, 9 and 10, the Houston Symphony presents a delectable all-French program featuring mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, Debussy’s La mer and other French musical masterpieces. In this post, discover Roussel’s Suite from Le Festin d’araignée (The Spider’s Feast), a gem of impressionist ballet. Get tickets and more information here. One of the leading French composers of … Continued
On January 4, 5 and 6, Jeffrey Kahane returns to Jones Hall to play and conduct not only Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, but also Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. In this post, learn more about this enchanting work, one of Ravel’s final masterpieces. Get tickets and more information about the concert here. Ravel had long … Continued
In the summer of 1929, the conductor Serge Koussevitzky was making plans for the 50th anniversary season of the Boston Symphony, for which he served as music director. A champion of contemporary music, he decided to mark the occasion by commissioning a symphony from one of the world’s leading composers: Igor Stravinsky. Returning to the … Continued