Mercury Chamber Orchestra Premieres HÉMISPHÈRES, Denis Plante's Cross Continental Creation

Mercury Chamber Orchestra has announced Hémisphères, a visionary new program created for the ensemble by acclaimed bandoneonist Denis Plante, in collaboration with his brother, Mercury's Artistic Director Antoine Plante.

As the opening chapter of Denis' artist residency with Mercury, Hémisphères invites audiences into a sound world where continents, cultures, and musical eras converge.

At the heart of Hémisphères is the bandoneon, a voice often associated with the cafés and  street corners of Argentina though this time woven into the textures of Mercury's period  instruments. The result is a musical landscape that feels at once ancient and immediate,  cosmopolitan and intimate. Denis Plante's compositions and arrangements move with  ease between hemispheres, blending Baroque sensibilities with tango-influenced rhythms,  folkloric color, and contemporary narrative clarity. 

“It's a meeting place,” says Denis Plante. “A place where history, and imagination all  coexist. Mercury embraces musical risk with such generosity that Hémisphères could only  have been born here.” 

The program marks an artistic reunion between Denis and Antoine Plante, two brothers  whose shared musical language spans decades. Together, they craft a dialogue that is  both deeply personal and artistically daring, one that expands what a historically informed orchestra can sound like in the 21st century. 

“Hémisphères brings a new palette to Mercury,” says Antoine Plante. “Denis has the ability  to transform the familiar into something unexpected. His music challenges us, but it also  welcomes us. It speaks to audiences with immediacy and warmth.” The program bridges  artistic traditions without compromising the integrity of any one of them, offering Houston  audiences a concert experience unlike anything else in the city's classical landscape.

Hémisphères 

Saturday, January 10, 2026, 8 PM 

Cullen theater at the Wortham 

Tickets for Downtown Series Concerts start at just $25. 

Featured Artists: 

Denis Plante, bandoneon 

Stéphane Tetreault, Cello 

Program: 

Gardel, Por Una Cabeza 

Salgán, A Fuego Lento 

Pugliese, La Yumba 

Piazzolla, Escualo  

Ginastera, Danzas Argentinas, No. 2 

Villa-Lobos, Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 - Ária - Dança 

de Falla, Danza Ritual del Fuego 

Grieg, String Quartet in G minor - Mvt. 1 

Sibelius, Valse Triste 

Pärt, Fratres