By Alexandra Chachkevitch
Correspondent, Gainesville Sun
Correspondent, Gainesville Sun
In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's romantic music will take audiences on a journey of passion, love and despair courtesy of the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra.
Translated into music, classical stories of love, passion and intrigue will resonate inside the University Auditorium on Friday kicking off the Valentine's Day weekend.
“What better way to celebrate a Valentine's day than bringing a hot date to a concert on a Friday night?” says Evans Haile, the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra's conductor.
The orchestra will perform Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's selected repertoire at its year's first concert, “Music for a Passionate Valentine,” at the University Auditorium on Friday at 7:30 pm.
The 60-member orchestra will perform the Russian composer's two, full music pieces, “Romeo and Juliet” and Symphony No. 4, as well as two short ones, “Polonaise” from the opera “Eugene Onegin” and a section from “The Snow Maiden.”
“No one is more passionate of a composer than Tchaikovsky,” says Haile, orchestra's artistic and music director. “His music really defines the high romantic passion and sex.”
The orchestra plays the 19th-century composer's music at least once a year at its annual Beloved Pops concert in March, said Virginia Lamboley, 52, orchestra's personal manager and principal violist.
But this will be the first time the concert is completely Valentine's Day themed with an only concentration on Tchaikovsky.
“He's my mother's favorite, my daughter's favorite,” Lamboley said. “He's almost everyone's favorite.”
His famous “Romeo and Juliet” love theme has been used widely in TV shows and films, everything from “Clueless,” “Wayne's World” and “Sesame Street” to the video game “The Sims.”
On the other hand, “Symphony No. 4” is a personal reflection of Tchaikovsky's own life in the 1870s.
At the core of the music piece are the composer's unhappy marriage with his wife Antonina Miliukova and his artistic relationship with his patroness Nadezhda von Meck, to whom the symphony was dedicated.
“I consider it to be a menage a trois piece,” Haile said. “It's perfect for Valentine's day.”
The way the music soars in Tchaikovsky's work gives it a strong romantic quality, Haile said.
“You could close your eyes and see the [“Romeo and Juliet” play] in your head because of the way the music is written,” he said.
Haile, who has been conducting the Gainesville Chamber Orchestra for 11 years, said the orchestra's main purpose is to bring some of the world's best music to the public.
“The orchestra is one of the crown jewels of our community,” said Santa Fe College President Jackson Sasser, adding that he and his wife Layne attend the performances whenever they can. “I don't think some people in this community realize that.”
Sasser said he hopes Santa Fe will soon become another home for the orchestra with its new fine arts hall opening in about two months.
‘Tchaikovsky: Music for a Passionate Valentine'
What: Gainesville Chamber Orchestra performs Valentine's Day-themed concert
When: 7:30 pm, Friday
Where: University Auditorium, Newell Drive and Union Road, UF campus
Tickets: $25, $20 for seniors, $15 for students and children under 12
Info: http://gcomusic.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment