As part of its two-week long festival celebrating the music of famed Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will present two events at Bellefield Hall Auditorium. These programs take place on Saturday, February 5^th and Tuesday, February 8^th and are co-sponsored by the Department of Music and the Film Studies Program.

Saturday’s program features a film screening of Ken Russell’s The Music Lovers and a conference hosted by festival curator Joseph Horowitz titled “Interpreting Tchaikovsky.” The conference will feature performances by members of the PSO and guest pianist George Vatchnadze along with discussions of the music with the performers and PSO guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda.

Tuesday night’s recital will feature performances by members of the Pittsburgh Symphony and guest pianists Vakhtang Kodanashvili, Edisher Savitski, and George Vatchnadze. The program will also include commentary by Pitt Assistant Professor of Musicology Anna Nisnevich, who specializes in Russian music.

Complete details of Tchaikovsky Festival events at Pitt are listed below. For more information about the entire festival, visit the Tchaikovsky Festival Web page.

Saturday, February 5, 2011
TCHAIKOVSKY THE MAN: Screening and Conference
Jennifer Orchard, violin
Mikhail Istomin, cello
George Vatchnadze, piano
Commentary by conductor Gianandrea Noseda
Joseph Horowitz, host
10:30 AM Film Screening: Ken Russell’s The Music Lovers (1970)
2-5 PM Conference – “Interpreting Tchaikovsky”
Tchaikovsky: “October” from The Seasons
George Vatchnadze, piano
“What Are Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies About?”
Keynote by Joseph Horowitz
“What is Tchaikovsky’s Music About?”
Colloquy with Joseph Horowitz and Gianandrea Noseda
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50
Jennifer Orchard, violin
Mikhail Istomin, cello
George Vatchnadze, piano
Discussion

Free and open to general public. Reservations required. For information, visit pittsburghsymphony.org/tchaikovsky or call 412.392.4876.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011
“Tchaikovsky and His Circle”
Jennifer Orchard, violin
Mikhail Istomin, cello
Vakhtang Kodanashvili, piano
Edisher Savitski, piano
George Vatchnadze, piano
Hosted by Joseph Horowitz, Festival curator
With commentary by Anna Nisnevich, University of Pittsburgh, and excerpts from the Block cylinder recordings (1890 - 1894)
Taneyev: Prelude and Fugue in G sharp minor, Op.29
Arensky: Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 32
Arensky: Suite for Two Pianos, No. 1, Op. 15
Arensky: Suite for Two Pianos, No. 2, Op. 23 (excerpts)
Pabst: Concert Paraphrase on Eugene Onegin for Two Pianos, Op. 81

For tickets, visit www.pittsburghsymphony.org call the Heinz Hall box office at 412.392.4900 ($12, general admission; $10, students)