SC Philharmonic opens season with Russian showcase
Ask a violinist to name the five most difficult pieces of music to play and, chances are, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto will make the list. Written in a heartsick frenzy so devastating that Tchaikovsky reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown while writing it, the piece didn’t make its premiere until three years after it had been completed.
Today, many violinists attempt to play the work; among those who have mastered it is Sayaka Shoji, the Japanese violinist who will perform the piece Friday with the South Carolina Philharmonic at the Koger Center for the Arts.
Shoji is quite in demand as a violinist – she has appeared around the world with leading orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Russian National Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. This will be her second appearance with the S.C. Philharmonic.
Tchaikovsky’s crowd-pleasing composition is part of “Russian Fireworks,” the SC Philharmonic’s all-Russian kickoff to the 2016-17 Masterworks Series.
The evening will begin with the Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, a rousing yet lyrical and almost playful work composed over a week in 1954 to celebrate the 37th anniversary of Russia’s October Revolution. Members of Ft. Jackson’s 282nd Army Band will join the SC Philharmonic for the performance.
Prokofiev’s emotional Fifth Symphony will round out the program.
Although the concert begins at 7:30 p.m., plan on arriving at 6:30 so you can hear Music Director Morihiko Nakahara’s program notes, which provide context and history to the music.
The non-profit partner for the concert is Lighthouse for Light, which works to stop sex trafficking in South Carolina.
Tickets are $17-$47; for more information, visit www.scphilharmonic.com.