On September 21, 22 and 23, 2018, world renowned piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman returns to Houston to perform Prokofiev’s spellbinding Piano Concerto No. 2 with Music Director Andrés Orozco-Estrada and the Houston Symphony. Discover the dark backstory behind this fascinating masterpiece. Prokofiev composed his second piano concerto at the age of 21 while on winter … Continued
Principal Clarinet Mark Nuccio makes his solo debut with the Houston Symphony playing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. In this post he explains what makes this piece such a joy and a challenge to play. When I was asked which concerto I would like to present as my first to the Houston audience, I chose the Mozart … Continued
When Shostakovich began composing his First Violin Concerto in 1947, he was enjoying a period of relative calm. World War II had distracted Stalin’s government from show trials and purges, leaving artists slightly less harassed than usual. In 1942, Shostakovich unveiled his Leningrad Symphony, which won a Stalin Prize and was played across the allied … Continued
If you haven’t heard, Timothy McAllister is one of the world’s best classical saxophone players. He’s so good, in fact, that he inspired one of America’s greatest living composers, John Adams, to write a Saxophone Concerto just for him. It just might be the greatest Saxophone Concerto ever—but don’t take our word for it. Timothy … Continued
Titanic. Avatar. Braveheart. Field of Dreams. Some of the biggest movies of the past 30 years have told their stories with the help of sweeping, colorful scores by the late James Horner. He entrusted some of their most poignant moments to the French horn: In Field of Dreams, for instance, the horn lent its glow to the first sight … Continued
Installment 1: Being selected as a semi-finalist in the internationally recognized Ima Hogg Competition is no small feat. Ten semi-finalists were selected from an applicant pool of 106 young musicians, ages 13-30, representing all of the orchestral instruments and piano, and hailing from 18 different countries. This competition is unique, as it is the most … Continued