Houston Symphony Announces November Lineup of Concerts

Star pianist Hélène Grimaud and violin virtuoso Simone Lamsma headline the Houston Symphony's classical concerts in November, with guest conductors Matthias Pintscher and Fabien Gabel taking the Jones Hall podium for an exciting mix of such beloved repertory favorites as the Suite from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, alongside several newer works, including the Houston Symphony premiere of Unsuk Chin's Graffiti, performed with film accompaniment by Houston-based filmmaker Alex Luster. Hélène Grimaud Plays Ravel takes the Jones Hall stage November 19, 20, and 21, followed by Thanksgiving Weekend: Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, November 26, 27, and 28. The Saturday night performances on November 20 and 27 are livestreamed.

In the program Hélène Grimaud Plays Ravel, part of the Rand Group Great Performers series, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G marks the great French pianist's return to Jones Hall. Guest conductor Matthias Pintscher makes his Houston Symphony debut leading the orchestra for this concert November 19-21, which also includes Ravel's Rapsodie espagnole, the composer's picturesque first major orchestral work, invoking the Spain of Ravel's heritage (he was born in a small Basque town just eleven miles from France's border with Spain). Continuing the Franco-Spanish theme, the program also features Debussy's "Iberia" from Images, a vivid portrait of the Spanish peninsula with Debussy's Gallic grace tempering the region's Spanish flame. Completing this program is South Korean composer Unsuk Chin's Graffiti (2021), the performance accompanied and enhanced by a new film focused on Houston's street art by Houston-based filmmaker Alex Luster.

One week later, November 26-28, guest conductor Fabien Gabel and the orchestra celebrate the holiday with works with fairy tale themes in Thanksgiving Weekend: Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, part of the Shell Favorite Masters series, featuring the celebrated Suite from Tchaikovsky's beloved fairy tale story ballet. Celebrated violinist Simone Lamsma returns to the Houston Symphony (having had two Houston Symphony engagements canceled by the pandemic) to join Gabel and the orchestra for one of the most popular concerti in the violin repertoire, renowned for its lyrical melodies that employ the full range of the instrument: Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. Also on the program are the Houston Symphony premiere of Canadian composer/conductor Samy Moussa's Nocturne (2015), and the Overture and Introductions to Acts II and III from Engelbert Humperdinck's Königskinder (The King's Children). Best known for his Romantic operatic treatment of Hänsel and Gretel, Humperdinck enjoyed success with this operatic treatment of the supernatural melodrama Königskinder, which premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in 1910.

Livestream performances are available via a private link to ticket holders for $20. Everyone in the audience is required to wear a mask while in Jones Hall. For a comprehensive schedule of safety measures, visit houstonsymphony.org/safety. For tickets and more information, please call 713.224.7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Socially distanced seats are available in some portions of the auditorium. All programs and artists are subject to change.

The classical series is endowed by the Wortham Foundation, Inc., in memory of Gus S. and Lyndall F. Wortham. Livestreaming of Houston Symphony concerts is made possible by Barbara J. Burger.

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