a striking performance

2 young superstars join former Houston maestro for grand symphony concert

Longtime Houston Symphony fans take note: A revered figure in Houston classical music is returning for a performance of an iconic work.

Christoph Eschenbach, the pioneering Houston Symphony music director from 1988 to 1999, will guest conduct an homage to a master in Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 on January 21, 22, and 23, 2022 at Jones Hall.

For those still observing COVID safety measures, the symphony will livestream the Saturday, January 22 performance.

Eschenbach will be joined by headliners Jan Lisiecki and Stathis Karapanos, two of the hottest stars in the genre. The shows open with Ibert’s Flute Concerto by Greek virtuoso Karapanos in his first Jones Hall performance. Karapanos, a child prodigy on flute, actually grew up listening to recordings of Eschenbach, his bio notes, and lists him as one his greatest inspirations.

Canadian piano standout Lisiecki, also making his Houston debut, will follow with Beethoven’s powerful Piano Concerto No. 4, one of the most quintessential pieces of the piano repertoire. Lisiecki, who is the youngest recipient of Gramophone Magazine’s Young Artist Award to date, signed with classical music label Deutsche Grammophon at age 15 and performs more than 100 concerts globally each year, a press release notes.

In a fitting closer, Eschenbach will lead the symphony in Brahms’ triumphant Symphony No. 1 (classical music aficionados know that the prolific German composer spent more than 20 years to perfect the piece).

This performance marks Eschenbach’s ninth time to take the baton and podium in Jones Hall since his tenure with the symphony ended in 1999. The former music director is credited for strengthening the symphony’s reputation in the U.S. and abroad: He led symphony musicians on six international tours to Europe and Japan and four major national tours.

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Christoph Eschenbach, Jan Lisiecki, and Stathis Karapanos perform on January 21, 22, and 23, 2022 at Jones Hall (615 Louisiana St.). For tickets and more information, call 713-224-7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org. Livestream tickets for Saturday, January 22, 2022 are available for $20.

Christoph Eschenbach returns to Houston.

Photo courtesy of Houston Symphony

Christoph Eschenbach returns to Houston.

symphony concerts

Arts News

Houston arts organization spins up a new record label for creative works

Two CD copies of Tyshawn Sorey's Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)

Photo courtesy of DACAMERA Editions

DACAMERA's unique musical contribution to Houston now comes in LP form.

For more than three decades, Houston arts and music non-profit DaCamera has brought innovative and unique jazz and chamber music performances to the city. Now, they are launching their own record label called DaCamera Editions, starting with TyShawn Sorey's Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) releasing on January 30.

Since 1987, DaCamera has been a nationally-celebrated curator, commissioner, and presenter of modern works that often fly under the mainstream radar. With the establishment of an in-house record label, the music they are known for becomes more widely available to audiences.

"Following the thrilling experience of commissioning, performing, and recording Monochromatic Light (Afterlife), we saw an opportunity to launch our own label," DaCamera artistic director Sarah Rothenberg said in a statement. "DaCamera Editions will enable us to share our distinctive, curated mix of new music, classical repertoire, and jazz in a way that emphasizes connections to art, literature and the world in which we live, all under the DaCamera umbrella."

Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) is the perfect album to herald a new Houston record label. The meditative piece was a joint commission from DaCamera and the Rothko Chapel to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the renowned Houston landmark. Featuring soloists Davóne Tines (bass-baritone), Kim Kashkashian (viola), Sarah Rothenberg (piano/celesta), Steven Schick (percussion), and the Houston Chamber Choir, the 75-minute work was a critical hit when it premiered in 2022. It built on a previous work, Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel, which debuted at the site in 1972. Sorey composed a bass-baritone part for Tines and expanded the keyboard role by adding piano. As part of the performance, Tines sings lines from the spiritual "I Feel Like a Motherless Child."

Both The New York Times and The New Yorker named the premiere of Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) as a top 10 classical performance of 2022. It was also a Finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

The album will be released on both CD and digital formats. Pre-orders are available at DaCameraEditions.com.

Future planned releases include Rothenberg's In Darkness and Light (May 2026), a piano album inspired by the anxiety of COVID and featuring Vijay Iyer’s eloquent personal memorial "For My Father;" and Tyshawn Sorey’s solo piano work For Julius Eastman, a tribute to the minimalist composer and activist whose work has undergone a 21st Century renaissance since his death in relative obscurity in 1990.

"DaCamera Editions will enable us to share our distinctive, curated mix of new music, classical repertoire, and jazz in a way that emphasizes connections to art, literature and the world in which we live,” Rothenberg said.

performing-arts dacamera music