Tchaikovsky’s Fifth

In the late 1880s, Tchaikovsky felt himself suddenly free from the catastrophes that were haunting his private life and carving a tragic path through his career. That much is clear from the new symphony taking shape on the composer’s desk at the time. Light floods the textures of the exquisite fifth symphony while hopeful melodies invade its dark corners. Marios Papadopoulos conducts it here, after Russell Hirshfield joins him for Scriabin’s delectable Piano Concerto – a blend of classical order, romantic rhapsody and the Russian composer’s own brand of mystical inflammation. The Orchestra is joined by some of Oxford’s most talented young musicians and our Conducting Fellow Cayenna PonchioneBailey for a performance of Glinka’s ever-popular Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla as part of our Side-by-Side scheme.