Rachmaninoff Festival: Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3

The Houston Symphony brings pianist Yefim Bronfman to Jones Hall for three performances of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, starting Friday, Oct. 9. It's the center of a Rachmaninoff festival, and the concerto is the heavy hitter here—long called the 'Mount Everest of piano concertos' for its technical difficulty, its scale, and its emotional weight. The symphony describes it as a 'must-be-experienced-live' work, and that's a fair way to put it: this is a piece that's meant to be felt in the room rather than heard on a recording.

Bronfman doesn't take on the concerto alone. He's joined by the full Houston Symphony, conducted by Music Director Juraj Valčuha, and the program pairs the concerto with Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3, whose melodies the concert notes say cascade in full glory. Between the two, you get a full evening of the composer's late-period sound—the concerto's massive piano part and the symphony's orchestral sweep.

Bronfman is a big name to have on the keys for this. The New Criterion put it bluntly: 'There is not a better pianist in the world. Yefim Bronfman is not a pianist merely for now, but for all time.' Whether you're a regular at the symphony or just want to see a world-class pianist tackle one of the hardest pieces in the repertoire, this is the one to catch.

There are three chances to see it: Friday, Oct. 9, at 7:30 PM; Saturday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 PM; and Sunday, Oct. 11, at 2:00 PM. The Sunday afternoon show is the outlier in terms of timing, so keep that in mind if you're planning your weekend. The hall opens 60 minutes before each concert, with a prelude starting 45 minutes before. The evening shows run about 100 minutes with a 20-minute intermission, and the music is recommended for ages 6 and up. Tickets start at $67.