
Apr. 26, 28 & 29, 2018
Also sprach Zarathustra
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Praised for his passion and musical intelligence, conductor Juraj Valčuha returns to Jones Hall with Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra. Featured in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, this tone poem is famous for its unforgettable opening sunrise. Acclaimed Chopin interpreter Evgeni Bozhanov performs Chopin’s poetic Piano Concerto No. 2, which features some of the composer’s most tender melodies.
Pre-Concert Activities: Attend the Prelude pre-concert discussion, held 45 minutes prior to each Classical concert. Prelude is led by our Musical Ambassador Carlos Andrés Botero, and sometimes features guest artists or orchestra members.
https://www.houstonsymphony.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/HS178RS.15A.mp3 {|with_image|:[{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Juraj Val\u010duha|,|bio|:|Chief Conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI since 2009. He studied composition and conducting in Bratislava, St. Petersburg with Ilya Musin and Paris.\n2005 saw his debut with Orchestre National de France. In the following seasons he led the Philharmonia Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Swedish Radio, Oslo Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Dresden, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale in Florence, Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome. He made his US debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Washington.\nIn 2011-12, he had his debut with the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony and led again the Staatskapelle Dresden, Pittsburgh Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and Orchestra di Santa Cecilia. With his Rai Orchestra he made a tour primarily to the Musikverein Vienna, the Philharmonie in Berlin, to the Enescu Festival in Bucarest, to the Abu Dhabi Classics with soloist Yo-Yo Ma. In 2012-13, he had his debut with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Filarmonica della Scala in Milan and Art Centre Ottawa and led again the NSO Washington, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Swedish Radio, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and Philharmonia.\nIn 2013-2014, he returned to the Pittsburgh Symphony, WDR Cologne, NDR Hamburg, Philharmonia, Swedish Radio Orchestra, NHK for a Japan tour, Munich Philharmonic and conducted opera productions (Puccini\u00b4s Madama Butterfly, and Prokofiev\u2019s The Love for three Oranges) at the Maggio Musicale in Florence; he took part at the Bratislava Festival with the Orchestra dell\u00b4Accademia di Santa Cecilia.\nHis engagements in 2014-2015 took him back to the San Francisco, NSO Washington, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic. With the Philharmonia at the RFH he paid a tribute to Lorin Maazel with the Respighi Trilogy. He also had debuts with the St. Louis Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montr\u00e9al as well as the Wiener Symphoniker, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and the HR Frankfurt. The Rai touring took them to Munich, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Basel and Zurich, with pianist Arcadi Volodos. On the opera house, he conducted productions of Turandot at Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and Jen\u016ffa at Teatro Comunale in Bologna.\n2015-2016 marks his return with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh and San Francisco Symphony, debut with Minnesota Orchestra. Recurring visits to the Munich Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, Swedish Radio and NDR Hamburg Symphony, Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome, as well as Maggio Musicale in Florence. He was touring with Bamberg Symphony to the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Frankfurt and Cologne as well as with NDR Hamburg to the Bratislava Festival. During the Easter time he conducts Parsifal at the Budapest Opera.\nIn 2016-2017 he will have his debut with the Chicago Symphony and will lead again the San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Utah Symphony Orchestras, Art Center Ottawa, National Symphony in Washington, OSM Montreal, and Minnesota Orchestra. In Europe he will return to the HR Frankfurt, NDR Hamburg, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, Philharmonia and at the Bratislava Festival, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Rome. On the Opera, he will conduct Pique Dame in Florence, Elektra at Teatro di San Carlo Naples and Peter Grimes at Teatro Comunale Bologna.\n|,|title|:|conductor|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Evgeni Bozhanov|,|bio|:|Evgeni Bozhanov was born in 1984 in Rouss\u00e9, Bulgaria and began piano lessons at the age of six. He made his public debut in his hometown when he was twelve, playing a Mozart piano concerto.\nIn 2001 Bozhanov went to study in Germany. His international career started after he won prizes at several competitions, including the Sviatoslav Richter in Moscow, the Queen Elisabeth in Brussels and the Van Cliburn in Fort Worth, Texas. Although he was one of the clear audience favorites at the Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw in October 2010, he was not awarded the top prize, which led to a controversial debate in the Polish press and spontaneous invitations from the major Polish concert promoters and orchestras. In summer 2011, he was invited to open the 7th International Chopin Festival in Warsaw with Chopin\u2019s 1st Piano Concerto and a recital.\nIn 2010\/11, Evgeni Bozhanov appeared in Brussels and toured Japan playing Beethoven\u2019s Third Concerto and Chopin\u2019s First. He took part in the third Abu Dhabi Classics season with the Orchestra Nazionale della RAI under Juraj Valcuha, opened the 2011 Sofia Festival in May with a solo recital, and played recitals at the Lille Piano Festival as well at the Festival La Roque d\u00b4Anth\u00e9ron and the Bad Kissingen Summer Festival.\nIn the season 2011\/12, Evgeni Bozhanov made his debuts at the Berlin Philharmonie, Musikverein Vienna, London\u2019s Royal Festival Hall and Tonhalle D\u00fcsseldorf as well as in Milano (Societ\u00e0 del Quartetto), Munich (Prinzregententheater), Stockholm and Lahti. He toured Japan with the Deutsche Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and Yutaka Sado followed by a solo tour that culminated with a recital at the Suntory Hall. With the Orchestra Nazionale della RAI under the direction of Juraj Valcuha he played in Freiburg and Vienna. He had his Spanish debut at the Chopin Festival in Valldemossa and at the Schubertiade in Vilabertran, and returned to the Bad Kissingen Festival.\nIn the season 12\/13, he plays at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Oporto, with the Orchestra del Maggio Musicale in Florence, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Orchestra della RAI Torino as well as in Milano (Serate Musicali), Munich, Essen and D\u00fcsseldorf.\n|,|title|:|piano|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |},{|type|:|custom|,|name|:|Nurit Bar-Josef|,|bio|:|Nurit Bar-Josef was appointed Concertmaster of the National Symphony Orchestra in 2001 (then the youngest such appointee to a major U.S. orchestra) by Maestro Leonard Slatkin. She was previously Assistant Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops from 1998-2001 and Assistant Principal Second Violin of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1997-1998. She studied with Aaron Rosand at The Curtis Institute of Music and continued her studies at the Juilliard School with Robert Mann. \nMs. Bar-Josef\u2019s solo appearances have included the National Symphony, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, St. Louis Symphony, National Philharmonic, Britt Festival Orchestra, and Grand Teton Festival Orchestras, among others. Nurit has been guest concertmaster for the Seattle Symphony, Houston Symphony, Arizona Fest Orchestra, and Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. An active chamber musician, she has performed at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, Bay Chamber Festival (ME) and Aspen Music Festival, and festivals in Tanglewood, Portland (ME), Kingston (RI), Steamboat Springs, Garth Newel, and Caramoor, where she performed piano quartets with Andre Previn at his Rising Stars Festival. She was a founding member of the Kennedy Center Chamber Players for nine years, and is a founding member of the Dryden Quartet. \nMs. Bar-Josef has been a featured guest on National Public Radio\u2019s Weekend Edition and has had the honor of performing at the White House with Maestro Christoph Eschenbach. She is currently playing on a G.B. Guadagnini, 1773, the “ex-Grumiaux, ex-Silverstein\nNurit resides in the Washington, DC area and enjoys long bike rides and hiking with her husband and dog in her free time.\n|,|title|:|guest concertmaster|,|small_image|:| \n |,|bio_image|:| \n |,|full_image|:| \n |}],|without|:[]}
NICOLAI Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor
CHOPIN Piano Concerto No. 2
R. STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra