Acclaimed Russian concert pianist Alexander Ardakov is returning to Mukilteo for two free concerts.
That’s right. Free.
Ardakov will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor with the Mukilteo Community Orchestra at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, at Rosehill Community Center.
The next evening, Nov. 17, he will play a varied program in recital, also at Rosehill.
Terry Preshaw plays French horn in the Mukilteo Community Orchestra. It was her day job as an Everett-based immigration lawyer that introduced her to Alexander Ardakov about 12 years ago. She made sure he had a visa that enabled him to enjoy an extended visit to the Northwest, where he has friends and relatives.
The friendship between Preshaw and Ardakov turned into an invitation last year to perform with the community orchestra.
Ardakov, speaking by phone last week from London, said he is happy to return to Mukilteo.
“The community orchestra is a very good group of music lovers, hard workers and friendly people,” Ardakov said. “I love visiting Western Washington.”
The orchestra is equally pleased to host the pianist again.
“Having him play with us last year was one of the most extraordinary musical experiences I have ever had,” Preshaw said. “I think I can speak for the rest of the orchestra when I say that it is a thrill to play with someone of his caliber.”
The community orchestra, begun in 1997, is primarily self-funded, Preshaw said. Its concerts are always free.
This year the orchestra is the recipient of a grant from the city of Mukilteo, specifically to help fund the concert on Sunday.
The concert program also includes “Overture on Russian Themes” by Rimsky-Korsakov and “Suite for Strings” by Leos Janacek.
Trevor Lutzenhiser, artistic director and conductor of the orchestra, calls Ardakov “a world-class pianist.” The Tchiakovsky concerto, Lutzenhiser said, is “a landmark work for pianists.”
Tchiakovsky wrote the concerto in 1875 and revised it several times. It is believed that the main theme of the first movement is based on a tune the composer heard performed by some blind musicians busking at a market in Kiev.
Most people will recognize the famous concerto. Its use in popular culture includes the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and the closing ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia; in the movie “Misery,” on the TV series “Mad Men” and during a scene in the classic film “Harold and Maude.” The title cut from the band Pink Martini’s 2009 album “Splendor in the Grass” employs the famous first movement theme.
The concerto is indeed one of the best known in the world, Ardakov said.
“I love this music and this composer,” Ardakov said. “When I play, I feel the struggles he went through, his emotions.”
The pianist is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, a school where Tchaikovsky once taught. Ardakov currently is a professor of piano at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.
He has won numerous performance prizes, including the Kabalevsky Piano Competition and the Viotti International Competition in Vercelli, Italy. He worked as a soloist with the Moscow State Philharmonia before moving to London in 1991. His recordings include Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
At Rosehill, Ardakov will play a 9-foot Baldwin concert grand piano borrowed from a friend in King County.
During the recital Monday, Ardakov plans to play works by Mozart, Chopin, Grieg and Liszt.
If you go
Mukilteo Community Orchestra, with soloist Alexander Ardakov, 2 p.m. Nov. 16, and Ardakov’s piano recital, 7 p.m. Nov. 17, both at Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo, 304 Lincoln Ave., Mukilteo. Free. More information at www.mukilteoorchestra.org.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
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