Brilliant Bach from Jane Glover and the Houston Symphony

By Sam Jacobson, 07 April 2021

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“an opportunity for the spotlight to shine on various Houston principals”

Reviewed at Jones Hall, Houston on 3 April 2021

Bach, Concerto for oboe, violin and string orchestra in C minor, BWV1060R

Bach, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen! - Cantata, BWV51

Bach, Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust - Cantata, BWV170

Bach, Orchestral Suite no. 2 in B minor, BWV1067

Yoonshin Song, Violin

Jonathan Fischer, Oboe

Yulia Van Doren, Soprano

Elizabeth DeShong, Mezzo-soprano

Houston Symphony

Dame Jane Glover, Conductor

Houston Symphony vividly brings Peer Gynt to life

Sam Jacobson, 28th March

Blending theater and symphony, the Houston Symphony reimagines Peer Gynt as Grieg intended – complete with dialogue, chorus, and a luminous cameo from Karita Mattila.

****1

Showpieces star in Houston Symphony’s memorable season opener

Phillip Nones, 20th September

Celebration is on the menu at the Houston Symphony Orchestra’s season opening weekend of concerts, conducted by Juraj Valčuha.

****1

Death and lunacy in Juraj Valčuha's Houston Symphony program

Kurt Gottschalk, 15th February

A mad March hare, a murdered child, a hypochondriac prince, and a roomful of dead wives make for a stellar concert by the Houston Symphony Orchestra.

*****

Bach by arrangement: Houston Symphony under Esa-Pekka Salonen

Kurt Gottschalk, 27th March

Listening to arrangements of Bach is like Dostoevsky’s challenge not to think about polar bears. It’s best to put the Bach out of your thoughts, even if “the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.”

****1

Full-bodied Beethoven from Yefim Bronfman and Fabien Gabel in Houston

Phillip Nones, 6th March

Fabien Gabel and the Houston Symphony Orchestra present memorable Beethoven performances that are solidly in the Austro-German tradition.

****1

A successful Beethoven 8 in Houston

Laurence Vittes, 30th January

Brinton Averil Smith, the Symphony's principal cello, approached Haydn's D major Concerto with bold courage and passionate, if inconsistently manufactured, strokes.

***11

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Sam Jacobson

Sam Jacobson has been writing for Bachtrack since 2015 and is currently in Pittsburgh, having previously lived throughout the Midwest. A keen traveler, he endeavors to see all the great orchestras and opera houses across the US and abroad. Outside of music, he works as a software engineer. He also maintains a blog which can be read here.