PROGRAM NOTES

Extreme Makeover

One of Tchaikovsky’s best-known melodies isn’t found in the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Symphony Pathetique, 1812 Overture or any other of his celebrated symphonies, concertos, or ballets. It is the poignant theme of the second movement (Andante Cantabile) of his first ever string quartet, which brought War and Peace novelist Leo Tolstoy to tears upon hearing it for the first time. Interestingly, the young Tchaikovsky discovered the melody when visiting his sister in Ukraine, overhearing a gardener singing it while working. In 2004, master Dutch orchestrator and composer Johan de Meij decided to use the melody as source material for a major new work. After simply and beautifully presenting the original theme with a saxophone quartet, De Meij begins to fragment the melody into two and four note motifs, then develops and re-creates it in the wildest variety of orchestrations. Enjoy this epic adventure of metamorphoses, as we give Tchaikovsky an Extreme Makeover.