PSO April 18, 2026 Concert "Tchaikovsky Festival"

Contact: Mark Miller (908-561-5140)

Website: www.plainfieldsymphony.org

Email:info@plainfieldsymphony.org       

For the final concert of its 106^th season, Maestro Charles Prince will lead the orchestra in works by the great Russian master, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in a program entitled “Tchaikovsky Festival,” to be held on April 18, 2026, at 7 PM. Tchaikovsky is one of the most famous Russian composers; the first with an enduring international reputation. He is particularly well-known for his ballets, concertos, and symphonies. The Plainfield Symphony will be performing two of his orchestral gems.

PSO concertmaster Evelyn Estava will be the featured soloist in the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35; one of the most beloved, frequently performed and recorded violin concertos in classical music. Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto in March 1878 while staying amid the breathtaking mountains of Clarens, Switzerland on Lake Geneva. The three-movement concerto combines ravishing melodies, electrifying excitement and plenty of virtuosity in its two outer movements.

“As the first ever Venezuelan violinist to give a solo performance at Carnegie Hall, Evelyn Estava is a performer of international acclaim. An alumna of the celebrated El Sistema music program, her combination of impeccable performance technique and a prolific representation of Venezuelan and Latin American music have made her a fixture in both classical and contemporary music circles.” She maintains an active career as soloist, orchestral musician, clinician, teacher and is a founding member and principal violinist of the Madison String Quartet.

The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, also known as the Pathétique Symphony (passionate, emotional), is Tchaikovsky’s final completed symphony, written between February and August of 1893. Movement 1, “Adagio-Allegro non troppo,” opens with a dark, low bassoon melody followed by an anxious rising and falling sixteenth-note figurations derived from this introductory motif, followed by a contrasting serene, lilting melody. The second movement, “Allegro con grazia,” is a waltz written in a limping, 5/4 time that demonstrates his graceful mastery of dance forms as evidenced in his ballets. The third movement, “Allegro molto vivace,” is a triumphant march that grows from scherzo-like lightness to brutal ferocity, often misleading audiences to premature applause before the tragic Finale. This despairing “Adagio lamentoso” presents a gradual heartbreaking descent into silence and darkness. Tchaikovsky conducted the premiere only nine days before his sudden death, leading some to consider it his requiem. 

Please join us in person to experience the emotional power and intensity of these two masterful works of this great Russian composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.