On May 30, 31 & June 1, the Houston Symphony closes its 2024–25 Season with a sonic wonder unlike anything else in music: Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 radiates dynamism, charm and eloquence, and it closes with one of the most glowing slow movements in the orchestral repertoire. But let’s be … Continued
In October 1883, Antonín Dvořák wrote to his publisher: “I was recently in Vienna, where I spent very fine days with Dr. Brahms, who had just come back from Wiesbaden,” a picturesque town on the Rhine river in Western Germany. The Czech composer, a good friend of Brahms, continued: “You know, of course, how very … Continued
Next week, Concertmaster Yoonshin Song takes center stage in Astor Piazzolla’s show-stopping, tango-infused “Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires)”—inspired by Vivaldi’s Four Seasons—in Mozart + Piazzolla, led by Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada. We talked with Yoonshin ahead of her solo, discussing the music, her rehearsal approach, and working together with Orozco-Estrada again as he returns for the first time … Continued
Earlier this month, Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada paid his first visit to the new campus of Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, just a few blocks from Jones Hall in downtown Houston. “The energy that was in the room was so huge,” said Kinder HSPVA senior Nicholas Wesley, who plays viola. “His … Continued
On May 16 and 17, the Houston Symphony presents a spectacular, semi-staged production of Bluebeard’s Castle featuring world-renowned singers Michelle DeYoung and Matthias Goerne. In this post, the production’s creative director, Adam Larsen, discusses his vision for Bartók’s fascinating operatic masterpiece. Get tickets and more information here. When we asked the musicians of the Houston Symphony which concerts … Continued
Above: Principal Double Bass Robin Kesselman works with a student from Medellín, Colombia during a special masterclass. Last week, 35 Houston Symphony musicians journeyed to Medellín, Colombia to help the Orquesta Filarmonica de Medellín celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Teatro Metropolitano José Gutiérrez Gómez with a concert featuring music director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and violinist Hilary Hahn. … Continued