This month, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week Schumann Festival featuring the great Romantic composer’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and more. In this post, discover Schumann’s sunny Symphony No. 3. Nicknamed the “Rhenish” Symphony, it was composed while Schumann was living near the scenic Rhine River. Composed in just over a month in November … Continued
This month, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week Schumann Festival featuring the great Romantic composer’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and more. In this post, discover Schumann’s masterful Cello Concerto, a work that was only recognized long after Schumann’s death. One of the first compositions Schumann completed after his arrival in Düsseldorf was his Cello Concerto. Curiously, … Continued
This month, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week Schumann Festival featuring the great Romantic composer’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and more. In this post, discover how Schumann may have secretly encoded his wife’s name into his passionate Piano Concerto. Composed in a mere two weeks in May 1841 (between the premiere of the First Symphony and … Continued
This month, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week Schumann Festival featuring the great Romantic composer’s symphonies, concertos, chamber music, songs, and more. In this post, discover Schumann’s enchanting Piano Quartet, a work that marries Romantic lyricism with baroque counterpoint. Schumann’s Piano Quartet dates from the autumn of 1842, known as “the year of chamber music.” In this … Continued
In February 2020, the Houston Symphony presents a two-week festival dedicated to one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era: Robert Schumann. As we approach Robert and Clara Schumann’s 179th wedding anniversary on September 12—just one day before Clara’s birthday—discover the unlikely path Schumann took to fame, his First Symphony, and love. Learn more about … Continued
On October 18, 20 and 21, legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to the Houston Symphony for our Perlman Plays and Conducts program. In addition to performing Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, Perlman will also conduct Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. In this post, learn more Schumann and this fascinating work. Though Robert Schumann’s Symphony in D minor is … Continued
After many amazing performances at the Semifinal round today, our judges have after much deliberation decided on four finalists for the 2016 Ima Hogg Competition. We present them to you in alphabetical order: Samuel Chan, marimba – Koppel Marimba Concerto No. 1 This 22-year-old marimba player is a graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for … Continued
This weekend, the Houston Symphony presents a never-before-seen production of Schumann’s The Pilgrimage of the Rose, featuring singers, contemporary dancers, chorus and orchestra. I recently got to ask the Houston Symphony’s new Musical Ambassador/Assistant Conductor Carlos Andrés Botero a few questions about Schumann’s choral masterpiece. Calvin Dotsey: How would you describe Schumann’s The Pilgrimage of … Continued