Though he published it second, Chopin’s Piano Concerto in F minor was actually the first concerto he composed. After a surprisingly successful impromptu solo debut in Vienna, the nineteen-year-old composer returned home to Warsaw to compose a concerto that he could play on tours in the future. Chopin completed it during the fall of 1829 … Continued
Leonard Bernstein first read Auden’s The Age of Anxiety: A Baroque Eclogue in the summer of 1947, shortly after it was published. Auden’s extravagant, book-length poem would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1948, but it began to stir Bernstein’s musical imagination immediately. Between 1947 and 1949, he would compose an unconventional symphony … Continued
This Valentine’s Day, you may be wondering how to let your Valentine know how you really feel. Here are five pieces of orchestral music guaranteed to help send the right message. Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture No list of romance-inducing classical music would be complete without Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, which contains the … Continued
On February 27, 1854, Robert Schumann attempted suicide by jumping from a bridge into the river Rhine. Some fishermen soon rescued him, but his sanity was gone. For years he had struggled with mental illness: he heard voices; the note “A” droned on in his head for hours; strange music played in his head; visions … Continued
Niccolò Paganini was perhaps the most influential violinist in the history of music. His tours across Europe from 1829-1834 astonished audiences; many of his compositions were so difficult that initially only he could play them. He not only revolutionized violin playing, but also inspired composers that followed him to make virtuoso technique a central part … Continued
Meet Ingrid Fliter! This internationally renowned Argentinian pianist joins the Houston Symphony on March 9, 11 & 12 for performances of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1. Get to know our special guest with these fun questions. Calvin Dotsey: What’s one thing most people don’t realize about playing the piano? Ingrid Fliter: That it is indeed … Continued
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