Overview
In 2012, the LA Phil’s monumental Mahler Project took the music world by storm. With the same larger-than-life intensity, Dudamel shines new light on Tchaikovsky, conducting the symphonies, tone poems, and more with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and our inspired partner orchestra, the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. The festival, which begins in late February 2014, will be enhanced by a range of significant community and education events. The grand finale combines the two orchestras in a spectacular celebration of the Russian master’s rousing music.
Tchaikovskyfest: chamber music society
Thu feb 20 8pm
Kicking off our TchaikovskyFest collaboration, this special edition features musicians from two great orchestras uniting for some of Tchaikovsky’s greatest chamber music works.
Artists
- Simón Bolívar String Quartet and members of the LA Phil
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Program
- TCHAIKOVSKY: String Quartet No. 1
- TCHAIKOVSKY: Souvenir de Florence
tchaikovkyfest: symphonies 1 & 6
fri feb 21 11am
sat feb 22 8pm
Sun feb 23 2pm
Gustavo Dudamel launches our comprehensive celebration of Tchaikovsky with the composer’s first and final utterances in symphonic form, from his Mendelssohn- and Russian folksong-influenced first to his heartrending last. “As a young boy, I discovered Tchaikovsky through great recordings and he has had a very special place in my heart ever since,” Dudamel says.
tchaikovskyfest: violin concerto & Symphony no. 2
Fri Feb 21 8pm
One of the less performed Tchaikovsky symphonies is paired with one of the most performed violin concertos ever. “Little Russia” was a contemporary name for Ukraine, and Tchaikovsky peppered his Second Symphony with the Ukrainian folksongs that inspired its nickname, although the work also recycled outtakes from his opera Undine.
Artists
- Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
- Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
- Alina Pogostkina, violin
Program
- TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto
- TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 2, “Little Russian”
tchaikovskyfest: symphonies 3 & 4
Mon Feb 24 8pm
One of Tchaikovsky’s most popular symphonies shares the program with the five-movement Third, whose nickname reflects the last movement’s use of the polonaise, a Polish dance.
tchaikovskyfest: shakespeare
Wed feb 26 8pm
Joined by actors who will present key scenes before each piece, Dudamel celebrates the English playwright whom Tchaikovsky so adored, he once thought of learning English just to read the plays in their original language.
Artists
Program
- TCHAIKOVSKY: Hamlet Fantasy Overture
- TCHAIKOVSKY: The Tempest Fantasy Overture
- TCHAIKOVSKY: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture
tchaikovskyfest: Symphony no. 5
thu feb 27 8pm
fri feb 28 8pm
sat mar 1 2pm
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony has been compared to Beethoven’s Fifth in its trajectory from tragedy to triumph, and it has served Gustavo Dudamel well. He has recorded it to wide acclaim, and it capped the program when Dudamel made his U.S. debut at the Hollywood Bowl in 2005.
Artists
- Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela
- Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
- Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Program
tchaikovskyfest: toyota symphonies for youth:
tchaikovsky's world
Sat feb 22 11am
Sat mar 1 11am
As part of TchaikovskyFest, a cross-section of the beloved Russian composer’s beautiful, passionate music will be brought to life for young audiences by the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.
tchaIkovskyfest: finale
Sun Feb 9 7:30pm
Echoing 2012’s The Mahler Project, Gustavo brings his two orchestras – the LA Phil and the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra – together on the Walt Disney Concert Hall stage for Tchaikovsky’s most beloved and his most bombastic. After all, could there be a better way to end TchaikovskyFest than with the 1812 Overture as played by two orchestras? We think not.