From Russia with Love

The SSO opens with Windsor-based composer Brent Lee’s, Am Rande der Nacht. Next, we move on to the beguiling exotic soundscape of Russia with Alexander Borodin’s, In the Steppes of Central Asia. Making this spectacular concert complete is the brilliant orchestral work, Russian Easter Overture by Rimsky-Korsakov and the genius of Tchaikovsky in his masterful Symphony No. 4.

Get Your Tickets

FEATURING:

All Orchestra Showcase

PROGRAMME:

Brent Lee: Am Rande der Nacht (The Verge of Night)

Alexander Borodin: In the steppes of central Asia

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture

—Intermission —

Peter Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, op. 36

I. Andante sostenuto; Moderato con anima; Moderato assai; Quasi andante; Allegro con anima.

II. Andantino in modo di canzone

III. Scherzo

IV. Finale: allegro con fuoco

PROGRAM NOTES:

Am Rande der Nacht (The Verge of Night) by Brent Lee (1964- ) Lee, who is a music professor at the University of Windsor, wrote this one-movement work in 1997. The composer has provided the following note: “Dawn and twilight have been recurring and apt metaphorical themes for me. …Am Rande der Nacht takes its title from the poem of Rainer Maria Rilke. While this piece does not represent an attempt to programmatically render the rather abstract imagery of the poem, I feel that the poem’s sense of space and resonance is reflected to a degree in the music.”

Overture, “The Russian Easter,” op. 36 by NikolAI Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) Andante lugubre – Allegro

A sense of majesty and occasion pervades this impressive and at times stirring work, which dates from 1888. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote in his memoirs that he was inspired to compose The Russian Easter by his childhood memories of the Orthodox Church. He grew up near the Tikhvin monastery and remembered the visual and musical splendor of the Church on High Holy Days.

In the Steppes of Central Asia by Alexander Borodin (1833-1897) Borodin’s fascination with the brooding, legendary expanses of Central Asia impelled him to write this “living picture” of Russia’s past, composed in 1880.

Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, op. 36, Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

I. Andante sostenuto; Moderato con anima; Moderato assai; Quasi andante; Allegro con anima.

II. Andantino in modo di canzone

III. Scherzo

IV. Finale: allegro con fuoco

Composed in 1877-78, this Symphony marked an important breakthrough in Tchaikovsky’s art. The Symphony’s emotional compass is cast in terms of the struggle against fate. This is especially pronounced in the first movement. The “fate” theme is heard at the outset in the trumpet fanfare, which paves the way for the stormily dramatic waltz that follows. The slow movement, with its lyrical oboe solo, is one of Tchaikovsky’s most inspired creations. The third movement, with its extended sequence for pizzicato strings, evokes the world of ballet, for which Tchaikovsky also wrote extensively during his career. The finale is a grandly conceived gallop that incorporates the Russian folk melody, “In the Fields There Stands a Birch Tree.” There is a powerful reminder of fate, however, before the rousing conclusion.

back to concert listings