David Robertson

David Robertson is an American conductor recognized for wide-ranging programs that mix core symphonic repertoire with contemporary works. In this Houston Symphony program, he leads Mozart's final symphony alongside a new concerto for classical and electric guitar and a Stravinsky wind piece, showing his tendency to frame familiar works next to unfamiliar ones.

This program gives a clear sense of what Robertson favors: placing a lean, texturally distinct piece like Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments, scored only for winds with no strings at all, next to a brand new concerto that pairs classical and electric guitar in dialogue with the orchestra. The evening closes with Mozart's Symphony No. 41, nicknamed the "Jupiter," a work built from multiple melodic ideas that Mozart weaves together in a dense final movement. Listeners can expect a conductor comfortable moving between eras, drawing out rhythmic clarity in the Stravinsky, balancing the amplified guitar against the acoustic orchestra in the Mackey concerto, and shaping the Mozart with attention to how its themes interlock rather than simply pushing tempo.