HoustonSymphony

What does it mean to truly be yourself? How do you take classical music and make it your own? In this episode, find out Mussorgsky’s answers with Pictures at an Exhibition. Made famous through Maurice Ravel's colorful orchestration of the original piano suite, this masterpiece was inspired by the artworks of Victor Hartmann, a friend of Mussorgsky's who suffered a tragic early death. One of the most popular orchestral works, Pictures at an Exhibition is a tribute to the power of art and friendship to withstand the test of time.

There's more to Handel's Messiah than the "Hallelujah" Chorus. Learn how Handel created a masterpiece that "fed the hungry, clothed the naked" and changed music history forever. From the overture to the final "Amen," this cherished Christmas tradition will leave you singing Hallelujah for Handel!

New to classical music? Want to introduce your friends, family or children to Bach, Beethoven and Brahms? Let Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz be your guide as he shows us how to really listen, not just to classical music, but to the whole world around us. Plus, discover the surprising benefits of active listening for young minds.

Growing up is tough, especially if you're a German-speaking Jewish kid from Bohemia trying to make it as a composer in the 1880s. Discover how the young Mahler's passions—for nature, philosophy and a married woman—inspired his first symphonic masterpiece.

Sex, drugs and classical music: Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique has it all! Discover how the beautiful Irish actress Harriet Smithson nearly drove Hector Berlioz mad—and inspired one of the most imaginative symphonies ever written.

In this episode, Carlos and St.John take on Beethoven's legendary Ninth Symphony. Often praised as the greatest symphony ever written, this groundbreaking work features an unprecedented choral finale and the famous "Ode to Joy."

Discover Beethoven's heroic Symphony No. 3, a revolutionary work that changed the course of music history. Carlos and St. John explore the score and its political background, shedding light on Beethoven's ambivalent feelings toward Napoleon, a would-be hero turned tyrant.

Carlos and St. John explore Beethoven's Symphony No. 8. Composed in 1812, Beethoven's playful Eighth Symphony looks back to the styles of Haydn and Mozart with nostalgia and humor. Also discussed is Beethoven's famous "Immortal Beloved" letter, a love letter to a mysterious woman that Beethoven wrote that summer.

In this episode, Carlos and St. John explore Beethoven's Symphony No. 2. Written during the summer of 1802, Beethoven's Second Symphony is full of energy and high spirits despite the crisis Beethoven experienced while composing it: that summer, Beethoven realized he was going deaf.