What's Happening in Hartford, CT…

Two classic works will be the centerpieces of an upcoming concert, with both still going ahead at the time of writing.

The Masterworks Series of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra will offer musical compositions by two Russian masters—the Symphony No. 5 by Tchaikovsky, and the Piano Concert No. 3 by Rachmaninoff.

Tchaikovsky wrote his symphony in 1888, between May and August, and conducted its first performance in November of that year. Reception was mixed, ranging from mildly enthusiastic in Russia to hostile in the United States, and the composer himself deemed it a failure. The theme of the work is resignation to fate, something that reportedly fascinated Tchaikovsky. Despite the composer's doubts, and the original critical reviews, the Fifth Symphony is now one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works.

Henry Kramer is the featured artist who will play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concert No. 3. This concerto is considered one of the most difficult ever written; Gary Graffman, a noted pianist who has performed around the world and recorded with the New York Philharmonic, said he was sorry he hadn't learned the work when he was still a student, and “too young to know fear.”

Music lovers have three chances to hear these pieces: April 17 and 18 at 8:00 pm, and April 19 at 3:00 pm. The orchestra will perform in the Maxwell M. and Ruth R. Belding Theater in The Bushnell, with Carolyn Kuan conducting. Brochure printing can be used to provide attractive and informative programs for events like this.