Classical Series - Symphonic Dances Festival: Valčuha Conducts Rachmaninoff by Ortiz, G., Prokofiev, Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, Van (2023/2023), Dirigent Juraj Valčuha, Jones Hall for the Performing Arts, Houston, Verenigde Staten

Rachmaninoff’s breathtakingly beautiful melodies hold a special place in the hearts of music lovers the world over. Immerse yourself in his glittering final masterpiece, Symphonic Dances, and witness “the most perfectly accomplished pianist of his generation” (The Independent) tackle one of the most notoriously difficult challenges in the piano repertoire, Prokofiev’s fiery Piano Concerto No. 2. The concert opens with Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari, inspired by the Mexican legend of the Blue Deer. In the Composer’s Words: “While composing this piece, I noted once again how music has the power to grant us access to the intangible, healing our wounds and binding us to what can only be expressed through sound.” —Gabriela Ortiz on Kauyumari Juraj Valčuha conductor Behzod Abduraimov piano