Andres Orozco-estrada Leads The Houston Symphony In World Premiere Of Jimmy L Pez' AURORA Violin Concerto

Houston Symphony Music Director Andr s Orozco-Estrada leads Beethoven's Eroica, the first of three exceptional classical subscription concerts that close out the 2018 2019 season. This concert pairs Beethoven's groundbreaking Third Symphony with the world-premiere of Aurora, a violin concerto by Composer-in-Residence Jimmy L pez that was commissioned by the Houston Symphony, 8 p.m. May 3 & 4 and 2:30 p.m. May 5.

Orozco-Estrada opens the program with the world-premiere of Aurora, starring violin virtuoso Leticia Moreno. Having long admired her work, L pez wrote Aurora expressly for Moreno, and invited the violin star to collaborate as he tailored the new work to Moreno's considerable talents.

This piece has great significance to me [ ] because it is my first collaboration with Conductor Andr s Orozco-Estrada as composer-in-residence of the world-class Houston Symphony, said L pez. Aurora is dedicated to Leticia Moreno, whose energy and excitement have been an enormous source of inspiration.

I lived in Helsinki, Finland for about seven years, continued L pez, and I had the privilege of witnessing the Northern Lights. It happens that one of my favorite violin concertos is the Sibelius. So I wanted to pay homage to that. What I'm after in this piece, especially in the 2nd movement, is trying to depict with sound the feast for the eyes that this phenomenon is. You witness these waves of light, and I'm trying to translate them into waves of sound.

These performances of Aurora are distinguished not only by the excitement accompanying a world premiere, but also by the use of lighting projections, bring nature's most spectacular light show into Jones Hall.

The evening concludes with an epic masterwork. Just as its inspiration, Napoleon Bonaparte, changed the history of the world, so did Beethoven's Third Symphony, Eroica, change the history of music.

Beethoven's Eroica, part of the Shell Favorite Masters series, takes place at Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, 615 Louisiana Street, in Houston's Theater District. For tickets and information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday Saturday, 12 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.

Underwriting for this concert weekend comes from Janet F. Clark, Barbara J. Burger and Chevron. The Composer-in-Residence project is supported by Robin Angly and Miles Smith, Barbara J. Burger and Michael Shawiak.

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