Fabien Gabel Leads Houston Symphony in Lyrical Program

Fabien Gabel, music director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, will lead the Houston Symphony and Argentine pianist Ingrid Fliter during Tchaikovsky's Pathétique at 8 p.m. March 9 and 11 and 2:30 p.m. March 12. The program will include Mendelssohn's The Hebrides and Piano Concerto No. 1 and will conclude with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6.

The program begins with Mendelssohn's The Hebrides, a concert overture inspired by the composer's visit to Fingal's Cave on the Scottish island of Staffa. The Hebrides is different from a standard overture that precedes a musical work in that it's a standalone musical selection and it has become part of the standard orchestral repertoire. The 10-minute work is comprised of a lyrical theme that suggests the power and beauty of Fingal's Cave.

Following the overture, pianist Ingrid Fliter joins the orchestra for Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1. Continuing on the theme of compositions inspired during travel, Mendelssohn composed the concerto during a visit to Italy after meeting a pianist in Munich. Fliter is the only female to have won the Gilmore Artist Award, which recognizes extraordinary piano artistry. She now divides her time between North America and Europe and maintains a busy performing schedule with orchestras worldwide.

The program concludes with Tchaikovsky's final masterpiece, Symphony No. 6 - also known as Pathétique - which premiered nine days before the composer's sudden death. The work is deeply personal to the composer's life and upon completion, he wrote, "I believe it comes into being as the best of my works."

The concert will take 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 www.houstonsymphony.org. Tickets may also be purchased at the Houston Symphony Patron Services Center in Jones Hall (Monday-Saturdayfrom 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). All programs and artists are subject to change.