M E D I A  A D V I S O R Y

Richmond Symphony Altria Masterworks concert featuring Award-Winning
Pianist Rémi Geniet and the return of conductor Jacques Houtmann
Saturday, January 14 at 8pm
Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center

January 2, 2017 – Richmond, Virginia Join the Richmond Symphony and guest conductor Jacques Houtmann for the fourth Altria Masterworks concert of the season on Saturday, January 14 at 8pm. The performance includes pieces by Wagner, Franck and Chopin, and features award-winning pianist Rémi Geniet, the Florence Robertson Givens Guest Artist. The concert will be held at the Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Arts Center.

Jacques Houtmann, Music Director of the Richmond Symphony from 1971 through 1987, returns to lead the orchestra as a guest conductor. The concert features one of Franck’s best known works, Symphony in D Minor. In describing the piece, Houtmann says: “The two main dominant spiritual characteristics in Franck’s music are faith and love. But we must not forget that passion is always there, leading the way to a final contemplation.”

The evening will begin with Wagner’s Overture to Tannhäuser. This romantic German opera tells the story of redemption through sacrificial love and combines two different stories: the legend of Tannhäuser from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (a collection of German folk poetry) and the legend of a singers’ contest.

Following Overture to Tannhäuser will be Chopin’s Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra featuring guest pianist Rémi Geniet. The 22-year-old French pianist has won multiple awards including the 2015 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, second prize at the 2013 Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in Belgium, first prize at the Prix du Piano Interlaken Classics in Switzerland, third prize at the 2011 International Telekom Beethoven Competition in Germany, among others. The themes of Chopin’s Concerto No. 2 reflect the Romantic era, while the three movements represent the feelings of passion and unrest.

Adult tickets for Altria Masterworks performances start at $10, college student tickets are $7, and child tickets are free for individuals 17 and under. Purchase tickets online at www.richmondsymphony.com or by calling 1.800.514.ETIX.

The Masterworks series sponsor is Altria. The guest artist sponsor is BrickStreet Insurance Company.

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About Jacques Houtmann, guest conductor
About Rémi Geniet, piano

About the Richmond Symphony

Founded in 1957, the Richmond Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in Central Virginia. The organization includes an orchestra of more than 70 professional musicians, the 150-voice Richmond Symphony Chorus and more than 260 students in the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra programs. Each season, more than 200,000 members of the community enjoy concerts, radio broadcasts, and educational outreach programs. The Richmond Symphony is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.