Balmain Sinfonia Returns To The Italian Forum With An All-Tchaikovsky Bill

The Balmain Sinfonia returns to the Italian Forum with an all-Tchaikovsky programme featuring Australian cellist Georg Pedersen playing The Rococo Variations.

The Russian master’s Swan Lake Suite and his First Symphony bookend the Variations – a magnificent cello concerto in the form of variations on an original theme, written in the spirit of the composer’s idol – Mozart.

Tchaikovsky wrote some of the world’s most memorable and most often performed ballet music: Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and, debuting at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in 1877, Swan Lake.

The First Symphony is said to have caused Tchaikovsky more “effort and anguish” than any other of his works. Despite these psychological torments, the work is mostly cheerful and sweet, especially when compared to the much darker symphonic works to come. Tchaikovsky gave the symphony the descriptive “Winter Daydreams” and its unmistakably Russian character derives from the closeness of most of its themes to the patterns and moods of Russian folk music.

Georg Pedersen is one of Australia’s foremost cello teachers and performers, having a career as soloist,  recitalist, chamber musician and principal orchestra player. Georg learned with Paul Tortelier in Paris and Gregor Piatigorsky in Los Angeles. He studied chamber music with the Prague Quartet and the Vlach Quartet and has worked with many European composers, including Shostakovich. In Australia he has commissioned and premiered many new works from Australia’s foremost composers. He has performed many times with the Balmain Sinfonia since debuting in 1992.

The Balmain Sinfonia’s return in August to its inner west home was a hit with Sydney music lovers and conductor Gary Stavrou said the size, facilities and acoustics are ideal for classical music.

Bookings advised.

The programme:

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Suite/ Rococo Variations for Cello and Orchestra/ Symphony No. 1/

Soloist: Georg Pedersen, cello; Conductor: Gary Stavrou

Tickets $30 / $25 conc.

Book online or call 9181 3929