Audiences will have the unique experience of a Russian conductor leading an iconic Russian classical piece when the Elgin Symphony Orchestra perform its “Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5? concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 and 3 p.m. Nov. 7 at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.
Penned in 1888 by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the title symphony is no light work.
“This is one of the most well-known pieces of music not only in Russia but worldwide,” said guest conductor Anna Rakitina. “The whole sociological atmosphere as well as the musical language of the symphony is something very close to my heart and very clear to me in terms of meaning.”
Born in Moscow, Rakitina studied conducting at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and has since conducted all over the world, from Denmark to Taipei.
“I value every possibility to perform this masterpiece and am very glad to bring it to Elgin,” she said.
Also on the program is Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Cello Concerto No. 1,” which was written in 1959.
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“I am happy to perform two of my favorite Russian composers in one concert,” Rakitina said. “The symphony and the cello concerto are written by two main figures in Russian musical culture — Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. Though they belong to completely different epochs, each of them represents their era with all the shades of its psychological and philosophical life.”
Guest cellist Gabriel Martins will solo on the concerto.
“I am sure it will be a great collaboration,” Rakitina said.
Born of American and Brazilian heritage, Martins hails from Bloomington, Indiana, and is the winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild/Young Classical Artists Trust Grand Prize. He plays on a composite Francesco Ruggieri cello made in Cremona (circa 1690) with a Francois Nicolas Voirin bow made in Paris (circa 1880).
The concert opens with Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro, K.492: Overture,” written in 1786.
“Having Mozart as an opening piece of the concert connects us with the Tchaikovsky at the end of the evening,” Rakitina said. “As we know, Pyotr Ilyich was the greatest fan of Mozart and called him a ‘God-Sun’ of the music. Moreover, the translation of (the original Italian) libretto (for) Mozart’s ‘Le Nozze di Figaro’ to Russian was made by Tchaikovsky himself.”
The program should keep the musicians on their collective toes.
“Every performance is challenging if you take responsibility for it,” Rakitina said. “In terms of technique, Shostakovich’s concerto is the hardest piece of these three.”
The concert’s trio of works certainly offers a wide range of feelings, from a comic opera to a four-movement symphony.
“The music we are going to perform is full of different moods,” Rakitina said. “Emotional experience is something very important in listening to music.”
Rakitina is the second of several guest conductors the Elgin Symphony Orchestra has slated for the coming year. Since Andrew Grams stepped down as music director this past summer, the orchestra has started the search for his successor.
“I am very much looking forward to this concert as my debut with Elgin Symphony Orchestra,” Rakitina said. “Honestly, I was very happy when I got the proposed program as it consists of my top favorite composers, and, certainly, it is always a huge pleasure to perform such masterpieces.”
Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 Concert
When: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 and 3 p.m. Nov. 7
Where: Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin
Tickets: $10-$65
Information: elginsymphony.org
Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for the Courier-News.