Tchaikovsky—known for his lush, sweeping melodies for strings—surprisingly composed only one concerto for violin, but his lone installment overflows with a world of emotions. Principal Conductor Peter Oundjian and your Colorado Symphony are joined by acclaimed GRAMMY® Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich in his much-anticipated return to Denver as featured soloist on Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto — a piece initially considered so difficult to perform that the premiere was delayed after his first two soloists declined the invitation. Hadelich himself described the piece as one of the most exhausting concertos in the violin repertoire, both emotionally intense and physically demanding.
Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique — a work epic in scale and ambition — requires tremendous forces and uses a recurrent melodic theme that ties the work together, surfacing in every scene of this epic and tragic journey. The composer’s own self-destructive passions are on full display as he takes audiences through the gamut of human emotions, capping a season finale that is dramatic and stirring.
