Outside Houston are bayous that fill up with
spring rains every year and then, in the summer sun, disappear. There’s
a wistful road sign east of town where two large bayous converge: "Old
and Lost Rivers." That place and that sign were all it took for Tobias
Picker to create one of the most serene and hauntingly beautifully
pieces of orchestral music in recent memory.
Shostakovich: Tahiti Trot (Tea for Two)
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1
Picker: Old and Lost Rivers
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (Little Russian)