Arizona Musicfest: Adventures of Tchaickovsky

Feb. 14

In October 1880, Tchaikovsky penned a letter to a friend of his, telling her about some of the projects he was working on at that time. One was an Overture, which he described as “very loud, noisy…”, concluding – in his words – “it will probably be of no artistic worth.” The other piece he was working on at that time was a Serenade, and while he seemed to show no love for the overture, he felt quite the opposite about the Serenade, saying “This is a piece from the heart and so, I venture to say, it does not lack artistic worth.”

We’ll hear a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings from a past Arizona Musicfest concert, as well as his Concerto for Violin with violinist Ethan Yang and the Festival Orchestra, and a favorite from John Williams with highlights from E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial.

Featured in this episode:

Featuring performances by Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra; Robert Moody, conductor; Ethan Yang, violin; Festival Sinfonia; Robert Moody, conductor.

Williams - E.T. Adventures on Earth - Arizona Musicfest Festival Orchestra; Robert Moody, conductor
Tchaikovsky - Concerto for Violin in D Major, Op. 35 - Ethan Yang, violin
Tchaikovsky - Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48 - Festival Sinfonia; Robert Moody, conductor
I. Pezzo in forma di sonatina: Andante non troppo - Allegro moderato
II. Valse: Moderato - Tempo di valse
III. Élégie: Larghetto elegiaco
IV. Finale (Tema russo): Andante - Allegro con spirito