SUMMER’S GRAND FINALE: TCHAIKOVSKY SPECTACULAR ON SEPT. 4
Pacific Symphony’s SummerFest 2022, presented by City of Hope Orange County, comes to a dazzling finish—complete with fireworks—when Music Director Carl St.Clair leads the orchestra in the Tchaikovsky Spectacular on Sept. 4 at 8 p.m. at FivePoint Amphitheatre (located in the heart of Orange County) in Irvine. This attractive venue offers ticket buyers an opportunity to sit at tables directly in front of the stage, along with grandstand seating for a panoramic view. Prior to concerts, gourmet food trucks with a diverse array of offerings are available for picnicking.
“An evening under the stars at FivePoint Amphitheatre and a program of music by Dvorák and Tchaikovsky is the perfect combination for a special evening. And it’s a fitting close to this summer’s season,” says Carl St.Clair. “When thinking of Tchaikovsky’s most beautiful, unforgettable melodies, the dramatic excitement of his driving allegros—this magnificent music reflects Tchaikovsky’s genius and reminds us all of its importance and relevance in our lives. It’s as powerful today as it was the moment it was first heard.”
Tickets for Tchaikovsky Spectacular start at $39. Concessions are diverse and bountiful, including food trucks selling Mediterranean, Korean, and Mexican food, and a wide variety of wine, beer, and cocktails are available for purchase. Gates open at 6 p.m. for picnicking. For more information or to purchase tickets, call Pacific Symphony Patron Services at (714) 755-5799, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., or go online to PacificSymphony.org.
The SummerFest 2022 Season is generously presented by City of Hope Orange County. Additional sponsors include PBS SoCal, K-Earth 101, KPCC 89.3 FM, and Classical California KUSC 91.5. Avenue of the Arts Hotel in Costa Mesa is the official hotel of Pacific Symphony.
The concert opens with Dvorák’s New World Symphony, a work inspired by the pioneering and innovative spirit of America. After intermission, Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto opens majestically with thunderous chords in the orchestra followed by the piano soloist’s musical entrance. This work happens to be the very concerto the 23-year-old American pianist Van Cliburn played to win the First International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 at the height of the Cold War.
Daniel Hsu, the 2017 Van Cliburn International Competition Bronze Medalist makes his Pacific Symphony debut at this concert. Characterized by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a “poet…[with] an expressive edge to his playing that charms, questions, and coaxes,” Hsu is increasingly recognized for his easy virtuosity and bold musicianship. The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky’s stirring 1812 Overture, complete with brilliant fireworks.
