August 3, 2021
Behind every great composer is… a great patron. Without the financial and emotional support of Nadezhda Von Meck—the woman Tchaikovsky corresponded with for 14 years and yet never met—the first Russian composer to achieve international acclaim might never have made it. By California Symphony Nadezhda von Meck was the widow of a wealthy railroad magnate,…
February 20, 2020
The first Russian to achieve international renown as a composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is also often considered the most Romantic of composers. He was also a deeply tormented and sensitive soul. By California Symphony If Tchaikovsky felt it, it found a way into his music.”—Prof Robert Greenberg Growing Up Tchaikovsky Born May 7, 1840 in…
January 3, 2018
“How he dealt with this deafness is one of the great stories of humanity, not just of music.” — Music Director Donato Cabrera The Arcadian of Pastoral State by Thomas Cole (on left). Portrait of Beethoven by Joseph Karl Stieler (on right). By California Symphony Music Director Donato Cabrera Imagine directing an orchestra you can’t hear. Or playing a…
