A Tribute to Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos

A Tribute to Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

The acclaimed Spanish-born conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, revered in the orchestra field and beloved by Houston Symphony musicians, passed away on June 11, 2014.

In tribute to Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos and his legacy, the Musicians of the Houston Symphony decided to share their April 8-10, 2011 performance, which Frühbeck de Burgos guest conducted. This concert, featuring Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, was his final appearance with the Houston Symphony.

Our own Adam Dinitz, English Horn and Chair of the Musicians Committee, led the effort to make this recorded performance available to stream via our website and mobile app for a limited time. We asked him to share his thoughts about what it was like to work with Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos, and why our musicians were so inspired to honor the legendary conductor in this way.

A Tribute to Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos
By: Adam Dinitz

Adam Dinitz, English Horn and Chair of the Musicians Committee
Adam Dinitz, English Horn and Chair of the Musicians Committee

“Frühbeck de Burgos was one of the most universally respected and loved conductors of our time, especially among musicians. One of my colleagues recently remarked to me that he was the “last of the old school conductors.” I think what this person meant by that statement was that he was a no nonsense kind of conductor. He had a clear vision of how the music was supposed to go, and he knew exactly how to lead an orchestra in order to get them to buy into his ideas and give a spectacular performance. He also used this “old school” conducting baton that was extremely long. I used to joke with my colleagues that if he wanted to cue the French Horns, he could just reach over and tap them on their heads with it!

Something I always found amazing about Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos was his ability to rehearse without using a score. Many conductors refrain from using a score in a performance, but not using one in rehearsals is almost unheard of. He never made a big deal of it, however. It wasn’t about an ego or showing off, it was only about the music. (In fact, the first time I worked with him, I didn’t realize he wasn’t using a score until the third rehearsal!)

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

The performances with Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos were some of the most memorable concerts of my career in Houston. My colleagues and I felt it was important to share the April 2011 Houston Symphony performance because of how proud we are of what we created with Maestro Frühbeck de Burgos and what an honor it was to share the stage with him. We hope audiences join us in reliving a spectacular and rewarding weekend of music-making at the Houston Symphony.”

The 2011 concert weekend included:

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, conductor
Aralee Dorough, flute
Mozart: Serenade No. 6 in D major, K.239 (Serenata notturna)
Mozart: Flute Concerto No. 2 in D major, K.314
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade, Opus 35

Listen to the full concert on our website!

This free stream of the concert broadcast – available online for three weeks – is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Musicians of the Houston Symphony, American Federation of Musicians, and Local AF of M 65-669 for making this streaming activity available without further compensation. Thank you also to our radio partner, Houston Public Media’s Classical 91.7, for recording the concert for broadcast.

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