Everett Symphony tackles ‘Duel of Fates’

In the middle of composing Symphony No. 4, Tchaikovsky had a nervous breakdown.

He was hospitalized somewhere between the third and fourth movements, suffering from an inner duel.

“It really was a duel for him and you can hear it,” said Cami Davis, principal cellist for the Everett Symphony. “He realized he had a completely unacceptable life – a wrong wife, a wrong sexuality. He didn’t know what do to about that, he had all this brilliance and it’s messing around in his head.”

The composer’s Symphony No. 4 is among the featured pieces in the Everett Symphony Orchestra’s third classical concert this season, themed “Duel of the Fates.” The works heard tonight at the Everett Civic Auditorium showcase how the composers dealt with their inner struggles in their musical masterpieces and tried to grapple with the concepts of destiny and fate.

Tchaikovsky was dealing with his destiny as he wrote Symphony No. 4, a turning point in his life, Davis said.

“It’s wonderfully emotional and wonderfully dueling,” Davis said. “Within himself was the duel of the fates, and he knew he was going to have to change his lifestyle significantly.

“It’s a gorgeous piece and a very exciting piece.”

Not only do the orchestra’s selections for this third classical concert highlight the question of existence, but they also will showcase the mastery of violinist and symphony concertmaster Fred Chu.

The Zigeunerweisen piece by Pablo de Sarasate is very gypsy. Loosely translated, the title is sometimes translated as “Song of the Tramps,” or “Gypsy Airs.” When it’s played, you almost envision gypsies twirling and spinning, Davis said.

“It’s lots of fun and has a lot of energy,” she said. “It’s also very well suited to Fred, because I think his passion is for that kind of music, the showy pieces. We keep teasing him that he’s not really Chinese, that he’s got some gypsy in him from somewhere. He loves the passionate, emotional pieces and this one shows the flare he’s able to produce.”

Chu became concertmaster of the Central Opera, Beijing, China in 1983. In 1986, he became the concertmaster of the Chicago Civic Orchestra under the baton of the late Sir Georg Solti. He had served as concertmaster of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra from 1993 to 1997, where he had the opportunity to perform with violin greats Itzhak Perlman and Joshua Bell, according to Chu’s biography supplied by the symphony.

“He’s just phenomenal,” said symphony executive director Jody Matthews. “When you watch him on stage, he just moves you. The music he makes just fills you with such wonder. He’s just a master.”

To learn more about tonight’s concert, the audience can attend a pre-concert talk with conductor Paul-Elliott Cobbs at 7 p.m. in the Everett High School cafeteria, 2416 Colby Ave. Cobbs will explain more about the concert program in an informal setting and answers questions. Chu is also expected to present his impressions of the piece he’s going to perform.

Cascade Symphony: The Cascade Symphony will present “Carmina Burana” at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N., Edmonds.

On tap is Glazunov’s Suite from the Ballet “Raymonda Op. 57a” and Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” Special guests are the Choir of the Sound, lead by music director Judy Filibeck, a unique show and performance choir based in Shoreline.

Russian ensemble: Con Anima, a professional choral ensemble from St. Petersburg, the cultural capitol of Russia, will sing Orthodox liturgical classics as well as popular folk songs in a concert at 7:30 tonight at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2301 Hoyt Ave., Everett.

Donations are accepted.

Works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Rimsky-Korsakov will be featured in the one-hour concert.

The three men and two women in Con Anima are graduates of a five-year, university-level course at St. Petersburg Conservatory.

“We try to arrange our concert programs to deliver the depth and spiritual wealth of Orthodox culture, to mirror the Russian soul,” Anton Malakhousky said in a written statement.

Arts writer Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424 or goffredo@heraldnet.com.

Everett Symphony concertmaster Fred Chu

Con Anima from St. Petersburg, Russia, will perform in Everett.