InTune | July 11, 2025

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InTUNE

Miller Outdoor Theatre: Beethoven 5 + Rachmaninoff
The Houston Symphony Magazine

ORCHESTRA ROSTER

Juraj Valčuha

Music Director

Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

FIRST VIOLIN

Yoonshin Song, Concertmaster

Max Levine Chair

Vacant, Associate Concertmaster

Ellen E. Kelley Chair

Boson Mo, Assistant Concertmaster

Qi Ming, Assistant Concertmaster

Fondren Foundation Chair

Marina Brubaker

Tong Yan

MiHee Chung

Sophia Silivos

Rodica Gonzalez

Ferenc Illenyi

Si-Yang Lao

Kurt Johnson*

Christopher Neal

Sergei Galperin

Tianxu Liu+

SECOND VIOLIN

Vacant, Principal

Vacant, Associate Principal

Amy Semes

Annie Kuan-Yu Chen

Mihaela Frusina

Jing Zheng

Tianjie Lu

Anastasia Iglesias

Tina Zhang*

Yankı Karataş

Hannah Duncan

Alexandros Sakarellos

Samuel Park+

Teresa Wang+

VIOLA

Joan DerHovsepian, Principal

Wei Jiang, Acting Associate Principal

Samuel Pedersen, Assistant Principal

Paul Aguilar

Sheldon Person

Fay Shapiro

Keoni Bolding

Jimmy Cunningham

CELLO

Brinton Averil Smith, Principal

Janice H. and Thomas D. Barrow Chair

Christopher French, Associate Principal

Jane and Robert Cizik Chair

Anthony Kitai

Louis-Marie Fardet

Jeffrey Butler

Maki Kubota

Xiao Wong

Charles Seo

COMMUNITY-EMBEDDED MUSICIAN

Lindsey Baggett, Violin

ASSISTANT LIBRARIANS

Ali Verderber

Hae-a Lee

Jeremy Kreutz

DOUBLE BASS

Robin Kesselman, Principal

Timothy Dilenschneider, Associate Principal

Steven Reineke, Principal POPS Conductor

Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Conductor Laureate

Gonzalo Farias, Associate Conductor

Andrew Pedersen, Assistant Principal

Eric Larson

Burke Shaw

Donald Howey

Avery Weeks

Michael Zogaib+

FLUTE

Aralee Dorough, Principal

General Maurice Hirsch Chair

Matthew Roitstein, Associate Principal

Judy Dines

Kathryn Ladner

PICCOLO

Kathryn Ladner

OBOE

Jonathan Fischer, Principal

Lucy Binyon Stude Chair

Anne Leek, Associate Principal

Colin Gatwood

Adam Dinitz

ENGLISH HORN

Adam Dinitz

Barbara and Pat McCelvey Chair

CLARINET

Mark Nuccio, Principal

Bobbie Nau Chair

Vacant, Associate Principal

Christian Schubert

Alexander Potiomkin

Ben Freimuth+

E-FLAT CLARINET

Vacant

Ben Freimuth+

BASS CLARINET

Alexander Potiomkin

BASSOON

Rian Craypo, Principal

Isaac Schultz, Associate Principal

Elise Wagner

Adam Trussell

STAGE PERSONNEL

Stefan Stout, Stage Manager

José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager

Nicholas DiFonzo, Head Video Engineer

Justin Herriford, Head Audio Engineer

Connor Morrow, Head Stage Technician

Giancarlo Minotti, Audio Production Manager

CONTRABASSOON

Adam Trussell

HORN

William VerMeulen, Principal

Mr. and Mrs. Alexander K. McLanahan

Endowed Chair

Robert Johnson, Associate Principal

Nathan Cloeter, Assistant Principal/Utility

Brian Thomas*

Brian Mangrum

Ian Mayton

Barbara J. Burger Chair

Spencer Bay+

TRUMPET

Mark Hughes, Principal

George P. and Cynthia Woods

Mitchell Chair

John Parker, Associate Principal

Robert Walp, Assistant Principal

Richard Harris

TROMBONE

Nick Platoff, Principal

Bradley White, Associate Principal

Phillip Freeman

BASS TROMBONE

Phillip Freeman

TUBA

Dave Kirk, Principal

TIMPANI

Leonardo Soto, Principal

Matthew Strauss, Associate Principal

PERCUSSION

Brian Del Signore, Principal

Mark Griffith

Matthew Strauss

HARP

Allegra Lilly, Principal

KEYBOARD

Vacant, Principal

LIBRARIAN

Luke Bryson, Principal

*on leave + contracted substitute

PERFORMANCE CALENDAR

2025-26 se a son

O p e n i n g We e ken d : Val č u h a

C on du c t s St r av in s k y ’s Fi r eb i r d

S e pt e m b e r 1 9, 2 0* & 2 1

Eschenbach Conducts

Mozart & Bruckner

S e pt e m b e r 2 7 & 28*

K i n g f o r a D ay : T h e M u s i c o f El v i s

O c t o b e r 3 , 4* & 5

J ea n -Yve s T h i b a u d e t +

T h e T h r e e - C o r n e r e d H a t

O c t o b e r 1 0, 11* & 12

G e r s hw i n & G r i m a u d :

J a z z M e e t s Symp ho ny

O c t o b e r 1 7, 1 8* & 19

Fr o m St a g e t o S c r e e n :

B r o a d way Me e t s H o l l y woo d

O c t o b e r 3 1 , N ove m b e r 1* & 2

Fri g h t f u l l y Fu n ! A H a l l owe e n

C o n c e r t f o r K i d s

N ove m b e r 1

Shall We Dance?

N ove m b e r 8 & 9*

S N o s f e r a t u: S i le n t Fil m

w i t h L i ve O r g a n

N ov e m b e r 1 6

J o u r n ey t o L i g h t : Va l č u h a

C on du c t s S h o s t a kov i c h 1 0

N ove m b e r 2 1 , 2 2 * & 2 3

Th a nk s g i v i n g We e ken d :

Tcha i kovs k y ’s P i an o

C o n c e r t o N o . 1

N ove m b e r 28 , 2 9* & 3 0

H and e l s M es si a h

S

S

D ec e m b e r 5 , 6* & 7

J oy f u l Fa n fa r e s ! H o l i d ay

B r a s s S p ec t ac u l a r

D ec e m b e r 6 & 7

Vo c t ave: It Feels Like C h r i s t m a s

D ec e m b e r 8

Ve r y M e r r y Po p s

D ec e m b e r 11 , 1 3* & 1 4

O h , W h at Fu n ! A H o l i d ay

C o n c e r t f o r K i d s

D ec e m b e r 1 3

Mariachi Sol De Mexico de José Hernández presents: José Hernández’ Merry-Achi Christmas

Dec e m b e r 15

S S Elf i n C on c e r t

D ec e m b e r 1 9, 2 0 & 2 1 B a n k o f A m e r i c a P

A N at K i n g C o l e N ew Ye a r

See our full year calendar for even more concerts! J a n u a r y 2 , 3* & 4

*Pe r f o r m a n c e li ve s t r ea m e d

SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Barbara J. Burger

President

John Rydman Chair

Barbara McCelvey President-Elect

Mike S. Stude Chair Emeritus

Paul Morico General Counsel

Jonathan Ayre Secretary

Jonathan Ayre Chair, Finance

Brad W. Corson Chair, Governance & Leadership

Carey Kirkpatrick Chair, Marketing & Communications

Evan B. Glick Chair, Popular Programming

Barbara McCelvey Chair, Development

Sippi Khurana, M.D. Chair, Education & Community Engagement

GOVERNING DIRECTORS

Jonathan Ayre

Gary Beauchamp

Eric Brueggeman

Bill Bullock

Barbara J. Burger

Mary Kathryn Campion, Ph.D.

John Cassidy, M.D.

Janet F. Clark

Brad W. Corson

Lidiya Gold

Claudio Gutiérrez

Rick Jaramillo

David J. M. Key

Sippi Khurana, M.D.

Mary Lynn Marks Chair, Volunteers & Special Events

Robert Orr Chair, Strategic Planning

John Rydman Chair, Artistic & Orchestra Affairs

Jesse B. Tutor Chair, Audit

Janet F. Clark^ Immediate Past Chair

Steven P. Mach^ At-Large Member

Bobby Tudor^ At-Large Member

Leslie Nossaman^ President, Houston Symphony League

James H. Lee^ President, Houston Symphony Endowment

Juraj Valčuha^ Music Director Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair

Joan DerHovsepian^ Musician Representative

Mark Hughes^ Musician Representative

Gary Ginstling^ Executive Director/CEO

Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

As of June 1, 2025

Carey Kirkpatrick

Cindy Levit

Isabel Stude Lummis

Cora Sue Mach **

Rodney Margolis**

Mary Lynn Marks

Elissa Martin

Barbara McCelvey

Paul R. Morico

Leslie Nossaman

Robert Orr

Chris Powers

John Rydman**

Brittany Sakowitz

Ed Schneider

Justin Stenberg

William J. Toomey II

Bobby Tudor **

Betty Tutor **

Jesse B. Tutor **

Gretchen Watkins

Robert Weiner

Margaret Alkek Williams **

Wei Jiang^ Musician Representative

Mark Nuccio^ Musician Representative

Sherry Rodriguez^ Assistant Secretary ^Ex-Officio

EX-OFFICIO

Joan DerHovsepian

Gary Ginstling

Evan B. Glick

Mark Hughes

Wei Jiang

James H. Lee

Steven P. Mach

Mark Nuccio

Sherry Rodriguez

Juraj Valčuha

TRUSTEES

Christopher Armstrong

David J. Beck

Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl

Nancy Shelton Bratic

Terry Ann Brown**

Ralph Burch

John T. Cater**

Robert Chanon

Heaven Chee

Michael H. Clark

Virginia Clark

Aoife Cunningham

Andrew Davis, Ph.D.

Denise Davis

Tracy Dieterich

Joan Duff

Connie Dyer

Kelli Cohen Fein

Jeffrey B. Firestone

Lindsay Buchanan Fisher

Eugene A. Fong

Aggie L. Foster

Julia Anderson Frankel

Carolyn Gaidos

Evan B. Glick

Andrew Gould

Lori Harrington

Jeff Hiller

Grace Ho

Gary L. Hollingsworth

John W. Hutchinson

Brian James

Dawn James

Matthew Kades

I. Ray Kirk, M.D.

David Krieger

Matthew Loden

Steven P. Mach

Michael Mann, M.D.

Nancy Martin

Jack Matzer

Jackie Wolens Mazow

Aprill Nelson

Tim Ong

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY SOCIETY

Mrs. Edwin B. Parker

Miss Ima Hogg

Mrs. H. M. Garwood

Joseph A. Mullen, M.D.

Joseph S. Smith

Walter H. Walne

H. R. Cullen

Gen. Maurice Hirsch

Charles F. Jones

Fayez Sarofim

John T. Cater

Richard G. Merrill

Ellen Elizardi Kelley

John D. Platt

E.C. Vandagrift Jr.

J. Hugh Roff Jr.

PAST PRESIDENTS OF THE HOUSTON SYMPHONY LEAGUE

Miss Ima Hogg

Mrs. John F. Grant

Mrs. J. R. Parten

Mrs. Andrew E. Rutter

Mrs. Aubrey Leno Carter

Mrs. Stuart Sherar

Mrs. Julian Barrows

Ms. Hazel Ledbetter

Mrs. Albert P. Jones

Mrs. Ben A. Calhoun

Mrs. James Griffith Lawhon

Mrs. Olaf LaCour Olsen

Mrs. Ralph Ellis Gunn

Mrs. Leon Jaworski

Mrs. Garrett R. Tucker Jr.

Mrs. M. T. Launius Jr.

Mrs. Thompson McCleary

Mrs. Theodore W. Cooper

Mrs. Allen W. Carruth

Mrs. David Hannah Jr.

Mary Louis Kister

Mrs. Edward W. Kelley Jr.

Mrs. John W. Herndon

Mrs. Charles Franzen

Mrs. Harold R. DeMoss Jr.

Mrs. Edward H. Soderstrom

Mrs. Lilly Kucera Andress

Ms. Marilou Bonner

Mrs. W. Harold Sellers

Mrs. Harry H. Gendel

Mrs. Robert M. Eury

Mrs. E. C. Vandagrift Jr.

FOUNDATION FOR JONES HALL REPRESENTATIVES

Janet F. Clark

Edward Osterberg Jr.

Gloria G. Pryzant

Miwa Sakashita

Ted Sarosdy

Andrew Schwaitzberg

Helen Shaffer**

Becky Shaw

Robert B. Sloan, D.D., Theol.

Jim R. Smith

Miles O. Smith**

Quentin Smith

Tad Smith

Anthony Speier

Tina Raham Stewart

Mike S. Stude**

Nanako Tingleaf

Margaret Waisman, M.D.

Fredric A. Weber

Vicki West

Steven J. Williams

David J. Wuthrich

Ellen A. Yarrell

Robert M. Hermance

Gene McDavid

Janice H. Barrow

Barry C. Burkholder

Rodney H. Margolis

Jeffrey B. Early

Michael E. Shannon

Ed Wulfe

Mrs. J. Stephen Marks

Terry Ann Brown

Nancy Strohmer

Mary Ann McKeithan

Ann Cavanaugh

Mrs. James A. Shaffer

Lucy H. Lewis

Catherine McNamara

Shirley McGregor Pearson

Paula Jarrett

Cora Sue Mach

Kathi Rovere

Norma Jean Brown

Barbara McCelvey

Lori Sorcic Jansen

Nancy B. Willerson

Robert Yekovich

EX-OFFICIO

Alejandro Gallardo

Reverend Ray Mackey, III

Frank F. Wilson IV

**Lifetime Trustee

*Deceased

Barbara McCelvey Fredric Weber

Jesse B. Tutor

Robert B. Tudor III

Robert A. Peiser

Steven P. Mach

Janet F. Clark

John Rydman

Jane Clark

Nancy Littlejohn

Donna Shen

Dr. Susan Snider Osterberg

Dr. Kelli Cohen Fein

Vicki West

Mrs. Jesse Tutor

Darlene Clark

Beth Wolff

Maureen Higdon

Fran Fawcett Peterson

Leslie Siller

Cheryl Byington

Mary Fusillo

Heidi Rockecharlie

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

LEADERSHIP GROUP

Gary Ginstling, Executive Director/CEO

Margaret Alkek Williams Chair

Elizabeth S. Condic, Chief Financial Officer

Vicky Dominguez, Chief Operating Officer

Jennifer Renner, Chief Development Officer

Alex Soares, Chief Marketing Officer

DEVELOPMENT

Sarah Bhalla, Development Officer

Lauren Buchanan, Development Communications Manager

Alex Canales, Senior Development Ticket Concierge

Jessie De Arman, Development Associate, Gifts and Records

Timothy Dillow, Senior Director of Development

Amanda T. Dinitz, Senior Major Gifts Officer

Vivian Gonzalez, Development Officer

Kamra Kilmer, Development Gift Officer

Karyn Mason, Development Officer

Hadia Mawlawi, Senior Associate, Endowment and Planned Giving

Meghan Miller, Special Events Associate

Mayenne Minuit, Development Associate, Administration

Emilie Moellmer, Annual Fund Manager

Megan Mottu, Development Officer

Tim Richey, Director, Individual Giving

Sherry Rodriguez, Corporate Relations Manager & Board Liaison

Katie Salvatore, Major Gifts Officer

Lena Streetman, Manager, Research and Development Operations

Stacey Swift, Director, Special Events

Sarah Thompson, Donor Stewardship Manager

Christina Trunzo, Director, Foundation Relations

Alexa Ustaszewski, Major Gifts Officer

EDUCATION | COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Olivia Allred, Education Manager

Allison Conlan, Senior Director, Education and Community Engagement

Austin Hinkle, Education and Community Engagement Coordinator

Cedric Mayfield, Project Manager, Evaluation

Jazmine Olwalia, Community Engagement Associate

Sheridan Richard, DeLUXE K!ds In Harmony Site Manager

Community-Embedded Musicians (CEM):

Lindsey Baggett, Lead CEM

Lucinda Chiu, CEM Teaching Artist

David Connor, CEM Teaching Artist

Stephen Hudson, CEM Education Specialist

Rainel Joubert, CEM Teaching Artist

Bianca Lozano, CEM Teaching Artist

Alexis Mitrushi, CEM Teaching Artist

FINANCE | ADMINISTRATION | IT | HR

José Arriaga, Systems Engineer

Henry Cantu, Finance Accountant

Kimberly Cegielski, Staff Accountant

Heather Fails, Database Administrator

Joel James, Director of Human Resources

Tanya Lovetro, Director of Budgeting and Financial Reporting

Freddie Piegsa, Help Desk Technician

Morgana Rickard, Controller

Gabriela Rivera, Senior Accountant

Pam Romo, Office Manager/HR Coordinator

Lee Whatley, Senior Director, IT and Analytics

MARKETING | COMMUNICATIONS

Bryan Ayllon, Web Coordinator

Mark Bailes, Marketing Revenue Manager

Rachel Cheng, Marketing and External Relations Assistant

Bella Cutaia, Patron Services Senior Representative

Ruben Gandara, Patron Services Representative

Kathryn Judd, Director, Marketing

Priya Kurup, Senior Associate, Group Sales

Caroline Lawson, Patron Services Representative

Lien Le, Patron Experience Coordinator

Yoo-Ell Lee, Graphics and Media Designer

Ciara Macaulay, Creative Director

Ashley Martinez, Patron Services Coordinator

Mariah Martinez, Email Marketing Coordinator

Casey Pearce, Graphic Design Manager

Aracely Quevedo, Patron Services Representative

Eric Skelly, Senior Director, Communications

Christian Sosa, Web Experience Director

Jonathan Townsend, Patron Services Representative

Jenny Zuniga, Director, Patron Services

OPERATIONS | ARTISTIC

Stephanie Alla, Associate Director of Artistic Planning

Becky Brown, Associate Director, Orchestra Personnel

Michael Gorman, Director, Orchestra Personnel

Julia Hall, Interim Director, Chorus

Adrian Hernandez, Concert Media Production Manager

Hazel Landers, Chorus Library Intern

Hae-a Lee, Assistant Librarian

Giancarlo Minotti, Audio Production Manager

Elena Reid, Artistic Intern

José Rios, Assistant Stage Manager

Brad Sayles, Senior Recording Engineer

Claudia Schmitz, Artistic Coordinator and Assistant to the Music Director

Stefan Stout, Stage Manager

Nathan Trinkl, Artistic Assistant

Ali Verderber, Assistant Librarian

Meredith Williams, Director of Concert Operations

Rebecca Zabinski, Senior Director, Artistic Planning

SUMMER SYMPHONY NIGHTS

AT MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE PRESENTED BY

July 12 July 18 July 19

The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires + Prokofiev 5

Romeo and Juliet + Shostakovich 5

Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony

Presenting Sponsor

Featured Program

MILLER OUTDOOR THEATRE:

Beethoven 5 + Rachmaninoff

Gonzalo Farias, conductor

*Janice Carissa , piano

0:05 C. SIMON – Four Black American Dances IV. Holy Dance: Mysteriously

0:23 RACHMANINOFF – Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43

INTERMISSION

0:30 BEETHOVEN – Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67

I. Allegro con brio II. Andante con moto III. Allegro-IV. Allegro

*Houston Symphony debut

Friday, July 11

About the Music Program Insight

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

City of Houston through the Miller Theatre Advisory Board Guarantor

The Houston Symphony’s Miller Outdoor Theatre concerts are endowed by The Brown Foundation, Inc. in memory of Stewart and Hanni Orton

The Houston Symphony’s sound shell ceiling is made possible through the generosity of the Beauchamp Foundation and the Fondren Foundation

Miller Outdoor Theatre

8:30 p.m.

Tonight, the Houston Symphony kicks off its Summer Symphony Nights at Miller Outdoor Theatre with a performance led by Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias. Winner of the esteemed Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition, this Chilean-born polymath also completed a Ph.D. focused on the study of cybernetics.

Gonzalo begins the program with a new work by American composer Carlos Simon, the “Holy Dance” from his Four Black American Dances. Composed for the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2023, the work is inspired by the ecstatic “praise breaks” of Pentecostal religious traditions. Indonesian pianist and rising star Janice Carissa then takes center stage in Rachmaninoff’s beloved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. A fiendishly difficult work, the Rhapsody takes its main theme from the Caprice No. 24 of Niccolò Paganini, a revolutionary 19 th-century violin virtuoso who allegedly sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his musical skill.

The program concludes with Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 5. Composed amid the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars, this symphony changed music history with its prototypical “darkness to light” trajectory, which would inspire composers for centuries to come. If you enjoy this concert, be sure to come see Gonzalo’s Classical Series debut at Jones Hall in November. —Calvin Dotsey

Program Notes

SIMON

Four Black American Dances, IV. Holy Dance: Mysteriously (2022)

As with many celebrated Black American musicians, Carlos Simon’s musical life began in the church. In his case, the connection to spirituality runs deep within his family: his father, grandfather, and greatgrandfather were all ministers, and his initial exposure to music appears to have been guided by theological considerations: “I grew up listening and playing Gospel music. In fact, my parents only allowed my siblings to listen to Gospel music; anything else was forbidden.” On another occasion, he noted that although there was “No rap or hip-hop [...] We could throw a little jazz in there.”

Born in Washington D.C., he moved to Georgia when his father “began pastoring a small congregation church in Atlanta in 1996.” Simon recalled, “It was so small that there was no one to play piano on Sundays. At age 10, my parents enlisted me to play on Sundays and I began taking lessons.” Simon’s first teacher taught him to play music by ear, an approach which necessarily teaches many fundamentals of composing. “It wasn’t long after that I started writing and teaching songs to the congregation.” He first learned to read and write music when he enrolled as an undergraduate at Morehouse College. “I went into the [music] program thinking I’d be a concert pianist, but I hated practicing,” Simon recalled. “I was taking music theory. My teacher noticed I was doing exceptionally well in part-writing and suggested I try composition.”

As he pursued further studies at Georgia State University and the University of Michigan, he developed a personal voice which combines influences from the classical repertoire—and especially the rich body of classical music composed by Black Americans—with popular American genres with Black roots. Over the past decade, he has emerged as one of the most frequently performed and commissioned American composers of his generation.

Although Simon has written a number of works which grapple with the weighty history of Black Americans, from Requiem for the Enslaved (2021) to brea(d)th (a 2023 work memorializing George Floyd), his music is also frequently permeated with expressions of joy and an optimism rooted in his religious faith. “This goes back to my upbringing and hearing my dad preach,” Simon explained. “It was always, how can you help these people? How can you serve? Yes, we can talk about the struggle. We can talk about what’s bad and what ails you. But ultimately, how can we get out of this? What is the antidote? What is the thing that will help you come out of the struggle?”

These themes of spirituality and celebration are apparent in “Holy Dance,” the finale of Four Black American Dances, which Simon composed in 2023 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Simon explained that the movement draws inspiration from various Pentecostal Christian denominations “known for their exuberant outward expressions of worship. The worship services in these churches will often have joyous dancing, spontaneous shouting, and soulful singing.” The dance opens with the upper strings and marimba playing a series of notes “as fast as possible” in an improvisatory, unsynchronized way, mimicking “the sound of a congregation ‘speaking in tongues,’” according to Simon. “Often

Program Notes

SIMON

Four Black American Dances, IV. Holy Dance: Mysteriously (2022)

RACHMANINOFF

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Opus 43 (1934)

referred to as a ‘praise break,’ the music propels forward continuously with the trombone section at the helm. The section moves to a climactic ending with the plagal ‘Amen’ cadence.” —Calvin Dotsey

After fleeing the Russian revolution in 1917, Rachmaninoff would compose only six pieces. Having lost nearly everything, he instead pursued a career as a piano virtuoso in order to better provide for his family. Fortunately, he found some time for composition during the summer of 1934. The 61-year-old composer worked “literally from morn to night” on his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, a masterpiece that would achieve immediate success.

A few years later, Rachmaninoff provided the celebrated choreographer Michel Fokine with a scenario for a ballet based on the Rhapsody, explaining how it could tell the story of the Paganini’s legendary deal with the devil and love for a woman. Consisting of 24 variations on Paganini’s theme, the Rhapsody begins with a short introduction that leads not to the theme, but to the first variation: a bare outline of Paganini’s melody. When the violins and piano then play the theme, Rachmaninoff tells us, “Paganini himself makes his first appearance…” The following variations reflect Paganini’s legendary skill with the soloist’s virtuoso display. The music then slows, and we hear the piano play the Dies Irae, a medieval chant describing the apocalypse. Rachmaninoff ingeniously worked it into the variations, saying “All variations on the Dies Irae would be for the evil spirit…there can be a dialogue with Paganini during his theme as it merges with the Dies Irae.”

One of the ensuing demonic variations features the strings playing col legno (with the wood of the bow), an especially creepy effect. “Variation 11,” which begins softly with tremolo strings, “is the transition to the realm of love,” he continues. “Variation 12,” a slow, graceful minuet with delicate pizzicato accompaniment, “is the first appearance of the woman…from the 11th variation to the 18th—these are the love episodes.” These variations have many different characters, from the heroism of the 14th variation to the tenderness of the 18th , the most famous variation. Emerging as a piano solo after a dark and mysterious passage, this love theme is in fact closely derived from an inversion of Paganini’s original melody. “Variation 19 is the triumph of Paganini’s art, his diabolic pizzicato,” Rachmaninoff continues.

The tension increases as the soloist executes ever more astonishing feats, until Paganini “appears for the last time at the 23rd variation— the first 12 bars,” when the orchestra abruptly takes over Paganini’s theme from the soloist. The Rhapsody ends with “the triumph of his conquerors,” a grotesque parody of the Dies Irae. While Paganini might have met his downfall, the piano soloist gets the last laugh, concluding the work with a wink and a smile.

Program Notes

BEETHOVEN

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67 (1804)

Beethoven lived during an era of extraordinary violence and upheaval: the Napoleonic Wars. But battles were not only fought around Beethoven; with regard to his music, perhaps the most important struggle was within himself. Just as Beethoven was winning a reputation as the leading composer in Vienna, he was faced with a terrible fate: slow, progressive hearing loss that would render him completely deaf by the end of his life. In 1802, Beethoven contemplated suicide, writing, “It was only my art that held me back. Oh, it seemed impossible to me to leave this world before I had produced all that I felt capable of producing…” This crisis marked a major turning point in his musical style; he took the musical language he had inherited, tore it apart, and put it back together again, determined to write music that could chart the course from despair to victory.

Of all his works, the Fifth Symphony best exemplifies Beethoven’s new, “heroic” style. Though sketches for the symphony can be traced to 1804, Beethoven truly set to work on the piece in late 1807, completing it in early 1808. It has since become one of music history’s best known works, but it would have sounded strange and new to Beethoven’s contemporaries.

In the Fifth Symphony, Beethoven creates a narrative arc over the course of its four movements that leads from the darkness of the opening to the triumph of the finale. The first movement begins with perhaps the four most famous notes in all music. Traditionally interpreted as “fate knocking at the door,” this iconic opening idea forms the basis of the entire symphony; Beethoven constructs his grand musical forms from simple building blocks, making the music gripping and coherent. The opening idea soon cascades throughout the orchestra until the horns expand on it, introducing a new, softer theme in the violins.

This more hopeful melody is derived from the opening idea, but turned upside-down; in a way, it is its mirror image. The opening returns and the main ideas of the movement are repeated, leading to a turbulent development. As the development progresses, the music becomes weaker, as if dying away, until the opening idea makes a powerful reappearance. The oboe plays a brief, poignant solo before the other main ideas of the movement are reprised.

In the end, the fateful opening idea ultimately prevails. The slower second movement begins with a ruminative melody in the violas and cellos, to which the woodwinds and violins respond with consoling phrases. A brighter, more optimistic theme emerges in the clarinets and bassoons, but it is interrupted by uncertain, questioning music in the violins. Turning away from these doubts, the theme resumes resplendently in the brass. These two themes alternate and are varied with each appearance, growing more complex as the movement unfolds.

After a brief, misty introduction, the third movement begins with a grim march based on the rhythm of the four notes that began the symphony. A contrasting middle section banishes the oppressive mood of the march with an upsurge of life; when the march returns, it appears in a weakened form featuring pizzicato strings.

Program Notes

BEETHOVEN

Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67 (1804)

The final movements are linked by a mysterious bridge that crescendos to the triumphant entrance of the trombones, which mark the beginning of the finale. Beethoven presents a series of soaring, triumphant themes, leading to a final, stormy development. Suddenly, the music slows and becomes quieter as the weakened version of the march from the third movement reappears. The uplifting main themes of the movement are then reprised in preparation for an extended, jubilant coda.

Program Bio

Gonzalo Farias, conductor

An engaging orchestral conductor, award-winning pianist, and passionate educator, Gonzalo Farias is the Associate Conductor of the Houston Symphony. In an ever-changing world, Gonzalo’s desire is to establish music-making as a way of rethinking our place in society by cultivating respect, trust, and cooperation among all people in our community.

Gonzalo Farias served previously as the Associate Conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, the Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, the Assistant Conductor of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Conducting Fellow at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Praised for his “clear, engaging” style “with a lyrical, almost Zen-like

quality,” Farias has been established “as a focused, musical artist who knows what he wants and how to get it—with grace and substance.” As former Music Director of the Joliet Symphony Orchestra, Farias embraced the city of Joliet and its Hispanic residents of the greater Chicago area with pre-concert lectures, Latin-based repertoire, and a unique side-by-side bilingual narration of Bizet’s Carmen

Farias was recently selected to conduct at the esteemed Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, the most important showcase for conductors in America. Designed by the League of American Orchestras, the National Conductor Preview chooses the most promising talents in the world for their podium gift and commitment to the future of American orchestras. Farias was also appointed by the National Endowment for the Arts as a reviewing member for the Grant for Art Projects, judging applications from diverse music

institutions to support the latest and most important artistic endeavors in the US.

During the summers, Farias has worked with Jaap Van Zweden and

Johannes Schlaefli at the Gstaad Menuhin Festival in Switzerland as well as with Neeme and Paavo Järvi at the Pärnu Music Festival. In the United States, he was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Bruno Walter Memorial Conducting Scholarship at the Cabrillo Music Festival and named “Emergent Conductor” by Victor Yampolsky at the Peninsula Music Festival. He also attended the Pierre Monteux Festival where he received the Bernard Osher Scholar Prize. Out of 566 applicants and 78 countries, he was chosen as one of 24 finalists in the prestigious 2018 Malko Conducting Competition with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Hailed by the Gramophone magazine critics, Farias offered one of the “most fluent, honest, open-hearted, and pointed performances.”

Farias was born in Santiago de Chile, where he began his piano studies at age five. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the P.C. University of Chile and then continued his graduate piano studies at the New England Conservatory as a full-scholarship student of Wha-Kyung Byun and Russell Sherman. He has won first

Program Bio

prize at the Claudio Arrau International Piano Competition and awards at the Maria Canals and Luis Sigall Piano Competitions. As a conductor, Farias attended the University of Illinois working with Donald Schleicher, the Peabody Conservatory with Marin Alsop, and worked privately with Larry Rachleff and Otto-Werner Mueller.

Besides having a fond love for piano, chamber, and contemporary music, Farias is a passionate supporter of second-order cybernetics as a way to help understand communication and how complex systems organize, coordinate, and interconnect with one another. This includes the interdependent and recursive nature of musical experiences, in which performers and audiences alike interact, respond, and co-create each other’s space. His final Doctoral thesis “Logical Predictions and Cybernetics” explores the case of Cornelius Cardew’s The Great Learning, to redefine music activity as a self-organized organization. In addition to that, he has a warm affection for his formal studies of Zen Buddhism, which has been a major influence on his approach to music and life. 

Janice Carissa, piano

A Gilmore Young Artist and winner of Salon de Virtuosi, Janice Carissa has “the multicolored highlights of a mature pianist” (Philadelphia Inquirer) and “strong, sure hands” (Voice of America) that “convey a vivid story rather than a mere showpiece” (Chicago Classical Review). Her artistry has been showcased at an array of renowned stages, including the Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, the Kennedy Center, Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Following her Philadelphia Orchestra debut at age 16, Janice has since performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Pittsburgh, San Diego, Nashville, Kansas City, Delaware, Amarillo, Des Moines, Knoxville, and Jakarta symphonies, among others. Highlights of the 2025–26 season include concerto appearances with the Minnesota Orchestra, Houston Symphony, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra of Columbus, Jackson (MI) Symphony, and Florida Orchestra, as well as a solo recital at

Pepperdine University and a duo with cellist Sterling Elliott for Capital Region Classical.

Janice’s passion for chamber music has led her to performances with Bravo! Vail where she was a piano fellow, the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society, and Jupiter Chamber Concert Series; collaborations with Vadim Gluzman, Miriam Fried, Paul Neuebauer, Lucy Shelton, Marcy Rosen, David Shifrin, Jennifer Cano, and Peter Wiley, among other distinguished musicians; and appearances at Marlboro, North Shore, Ravinia, Caramoor, and Kneisel Hall festivals.

Born in Indonesia, Janice left there in 2013 to enter the Curtis Institute of Music with a full scholarship from Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest, where she was a pupil of Gary Graffman. She went on to earn a Master of Music at The Juilliard School where she studied with Robert McDonald. When away from the piano, Janice is an avid foodie and loves going on strolls with her camera. 

Juraj Valčuha, Music Director

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InTune | July 11, 2025 by Houston Symphony - Issuu