UPCOMING CONCERTS & EVENTS

PROGRAM 7
Tchaikovsky Cycle , IV
 "THE FOURTH"

Matthias Bamert, Guest Condutor
Carla López Speziale, mezzo soprano
Coro del Estado de Jalisco (Jalisco State Choir), Sergio Hernández, Director

Piotr Ilich TCHAIKOVSKY
Sergei PROKOFIEV, Alexander Nevsky op.78
   Soloist: Carla López Speziale, mezzo soprano
   Coro del Estado de Jalisco

Between 1877 and 1878, Tchaikovsky composed his Fourth Symphony in F minor, Op.36, which he explained perfectly on an emotional level in a letter to his great patroness, Mrs. Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck.  In this letter, he poured out his feelings with regard to his disastrous marriage to Antonina Miliukova, and told Mrs. von Meck that he saw his life as being directed by a fateful destiny.  We hear this implacable destiny depicted in sound in the opening bars of the work as a tragic statement first enunciated by the horns and then taken up by the entire brass section.  The writing of this Fourth Symphony was surely a cathartic act for Tchaikovsky, who had decided to dedicate the score to “his best friend,” precisely the same Nadezhda von Meck.

The work’s extraordinary complement in these concerts is the Cantata Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78, by Sergei Prokófiev. It was originally written as the soundtrack for a film by Sergei Eisenstein, a narrative of the bloody battle led by Prince Alexander Nevsky against the teutonic horsemen of Livonia in 1242; however, the movie also reflects the mood of the Old Continent at the very moment of the rise of fascism and the imminent outbreak of the Second World War.  After the film’s opening, Prokofiev reworked the film score and converted it into a concert cantata of impressive power and impact.  The OFJ will perform the epic score with the aid of the majestic voice of Mexican mezzo-soprano Carla López-Speziale and the Jalisco State Choir.

On March 20^th and 22^nd, we look forward to experiencing this remarkable double-bill.

Friday, March 20, 2015 
8:30 PM, Teatro Degollado

Sunday, March 22, 2015 
12:30 PM, Teatro Degollado