RO NOW: Tchaikovsky 4

RO NOW is here to brighten your weekend! Treat yourself to top musical pieces that will stimulate your ears, starting with a clarifying introduction by presentator Christiaan Kuyvenhoven which the orchestra illustrates with various examples to help you feel and experience the music more profoundly during the performance. The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky took a personal, emotional approach to composition. Can you hear his joys and struggles, embodied in his music? 

Tchaikovsky ‘s Symphony No. 4 is one of his most expressive works. The composer poured his own essence into its four parts: freedom, melancholy, playfulness and triumph. The final movement incorporates a playful reference to the Russian folk song In the Field Stood a Birch Tree. Much of Tchaikovsky’s inspiration for the piece came from his childhood in Russia, an apparently carefree time – but we all know that dire fate is never far away, especially in classical works. Nevertheless, life triumphs in the end, with the euphoric orchestra drowning out the threatening tones. Opening the night is a virtuoso display of orchestral fireworks by the Czech composer Smetana: the overture to his most famous opera.