Tchaikovsky's Great Heights

A treat for Thanksgiving weekend, Juraj Valcuha conducts the Houston Symphony and pianist Behzod Abduraimov through a performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, once considered unplayable due to its considerable technical demands! Adding to the spectacle, the program also features Richard Strauss' valiant tone poem A Hero's Life and a brand new work from Slovak composer Lubica Cekovska!

Premiering in Boston in 1875, Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto was an immediate success and has since become one of the most popular showpieces for the instrument, testing the mettle of even the most accomplished of pianists. Steeped in sublime romance, expansive themes and sweeping movements, the concerto opens with a thunderously triumphant series of instantly recognisable chords before soaring to the soulful melodic heights of its middle section. Its electrifying finale is known to have audiences on the edges of their seats.