“Music director Andrés Orozco-Estrada had originally planned to open the Houston Symphony’s 2017-18 season with an all-Schumann set of music,” writes Eric Skelly in Wednesday’s (9/27) Houston Chronicle. “That was before Hurricane Harvey hit, displacing the symphony from its Jones Hall performance home and plaguing the city with a hangover that will linger for some time.… Orozco-Estrada tabled the Schumann in favor of three works unified by exuberant and compelling dance rhythms to lift Houston’s spirits. It worked. A demonstrative and supportive audience rewarded the musicians with standing ovations and vocal encouragement … this past Saturday … in Rice University’s Stude Concert Hall.” The orchestra performed Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Piazzolla’s Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) with violin soloist Leticia Moreno, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. In the Beethoven, “Orozco-Estrada … had a podium presence that was even more animated than usual.… The horns gleamed like sunlight.… The ensemble was tight throughout, with a thrilling gallop to the end that brought the audience to its feet…. Everyone, from the musicians onstage to the friendly Rice parking attendants and Houston Symphony ushers … gave the impression that ‘we’re all in this together.’ ”
Posted September 28, 2017
In photo: The Houston Symphony performs its season-opening concert on September 23, 2017 at Stude Hall at Rice University. Jones Hall, the orchestra’s home base, was damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Photo by Gary Fountain / Chronicle
