Handel, Beethoven, Bach and More Set for Mercury's 15th Anniversary Season

Mercury is pleased to announce details of the 2015-2016 Concert Season, featuring Handel's Messiah, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Bach's Complete Orchestra Suites with guest conductor Harry Bicket, and a special 15th Anniversary Concert with vocal superstar Susan Graham.

Artistic Director Antoine Plante has created a diverse new season featuring music from the Baroque era and beyond. Each concert -- performed on period instruments -- promises to be a dynamic and fresh experience, something audiences have come to expect from Mercury.

This summer, Mercury kicks-off the 2015-2016 season with a Free Community Concert at Miller Outdoor Theater. Experienced by thousands of people each year at Houston's premiere outdoor concert venue in Hermann Park, this season's concert will feature Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks and a live fireworks display after the performance will punctuate this very special night. This concert is made possible in part by the Miller Outdoor Theater Advisory Board.

In September, Mercury will present a special evening with vocal superstar Susan Graham at the Wortham Center's Cullen Theater for an exciting musical journey through the centuries. This concert will be offered FREE to patrons subscribing to Mercury's full 7-Concert Downtown Series.

Mercury's Downtown Series, also at the Cullen Theater, is comprised of seven distinctive concerts running from October through May. Mercury opens the series with a program featuring Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony, Rameau's Suite from Les Boréades and special guest Alex Weimann on the fortepiano for Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21, K. 467. In November, Mercury will venture to the late Romantic period with Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence, Sibelius' Valse Triste and Brahms' Hungarian Dances, followed by a performance of Handel's complete Messiah in December.

Early in the new year, Mercury will collaborate with acclaimed bandoneonist Denis Plante and guitarist David Jacques for Piazzola's Double Concerto, Bach's Art of the Fugue and Plante's own composition Noche de Tango, which weaves Bach and Tango into a thrilling musical duel. For the 2016 Houston Early Music Festival in February, renowned guest conductor Harry Bicket will lead Mercury in a complete performance of Bach's Four Orchestral Suites. March brings an all-Mozart program including Symphony No. 39, K. 543, Adagio for Violin and Orchestra, K. 261, featuring concertmaster Jonathan Godfrey, and Clarinet Concerto, K. 622 featuring period clarinetist Thomas Carroll. Mercury concludes this special season with the culmination of a multi-year Beethoven Symphony cycle, finally reaching the great and passionate Ninth Symphony, "Ode to Joy".

Now in its fourth year, Mercury's LINN Energy Neighborhood Series, offers intimate, hour-long concerts in four outstanding and convenient locations across Houston. These concerts will be offered in October, November/December, and April at Gallery M Squared in the Heights, Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Memorial, Museum of Fine Arts Houston in the Museum District, and the Dosey Doe Big Barn in The Woodlands. Designed to inspire and energize all who attend, these concerts will feature music by Vivaldi, Bach, Telemann, Mozart, and Dvorak as Mercury shares many audience favorites from the past fifteen years.

Subscription sales for Mercury's 2015-2016 season are available immediately, offering savings up to $154 off single ticket prices. Subscribers always receive the best seats at the best prices. Other exclusive subscriber benefits include reserved seats, free ticket exchange privileges, and additional discounts on single tickets.

Single tickets will be available in July 2015.

For more information or to order a subscription, call Mercury's Patron Services Team at 713-533-0080, Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 5 PM; or visit Mercury's website at mercuryhouston.org.

Founded in 2000, Mercury has a mission to serve the community by celebrating the power of music, Baroque and beyond, teaching, sharing and performing with passion, intimacy and excellence. The orchestra offers performances of a broad repertoire of music on period instruments and has garnered critical acclaim around the world through innovative and accessible performances, domestic and international tours, and groundbreaking music education programs.

What makes a Mercury performance unique? Mercury musicians perform on period instruments similar in style and sound to those used by composers of the Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic periods. Differences between modern and period instruments can be seen in the string section where players use gut rather than steel strings and often utilize a Baroque bow that is shorter and more curved than a modern bow. Brass instruments have no valves and are more modest in shape than their modern equivalents, and the timpani drums utilize leather skins rather than synthetic heads. Perhaps the most recognizable differences can be seen in the woodwind section; these instruments have less keys and are actually crafted from wood as opposed to metal or plastic like many modern instruments. Mercury chooses to perform with period instruments to create a distinctive and exciting sound, true to the composer's intent. Mercury musicians also perform standing to better express the passion and vitality of the music. All of this provides a singular listening experience for our audience.

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