HOUSTON (March 14, 2018) ? The Houston Symphony and Music Director Andr?s Orozco-Estrada performed their fourth European tour concert on Wednesday, March 14, in front of a nearly sold-out crowd at the distinguished Filharmonia Narodowa in Warsaw, Poland.
Modeled after the Paris Opera and designed by architect Karol Kozlowski, the concert hall opened its doors in 1901 but was reconstructed in a totally new architectural style in 1955 after being destroyed beyond repair in WWII. Today, it is one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world.
The first half of the program began with Bernstein?s Three Dance Episodes from On The Town, followed by the composer?s lyrical Serenade for Violin featuring three-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn. Bernstein?s works are central to the tour repertoire in honor of the composer?s centennial year.
?The Houston Symphony has a very special sound and a very interesting way to approach these different composers, and particularly the symphonies we?re playing on the tour like Dvo??k?s Symphony No. 7 and Shostakovich?s Symphony No. 5,? said Orozco-Estrada. ?We share a very strong and special connection with these works, which at the end is what matters the most; that we connect ourselves with the music and with the audience.?
The evening concluded with Shostakovich?s bold Fifth Symphony. The Houston Symphony?s next stops on the European tour are the Wiener Konzerthaus (March 15) in Vienna, Austria, before returning to Germany for the last leg of the tour featuring the orchestra?s debut at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (March 17) and performances at the Hannover Congress Centrum (March 18) and Gasteig M?nchen (March 19).
For more information about the European tour, visit https://www.houstonsymphony.org/european-tour.