This is Hershey Felder’s eighth part of a nine part series of taking on famous composers. The seventh one was Irving Berlin and his final one will be Claude Debussy. And for this one, Pyotr Ill’yich Tchaikovsky is his subject. The show is promoted as theatre, but it feels more like a classical concert. Between songs, Felder becomes the composer telling his story. It begins with his parents discouraging him from music because it is “for girls” and it ends with his mysterious death. Along the way, his many struggles and triumphs are detailed that provide a great context to the music.
Hershey Felder is absolutely an amazing piano player. His hands seem to just glide across the keyboard and create beautiful notes. He also has a great charm and love of storytelling that comes across in between songs. It’s no wonder that this nine part series has been so successful for him.
The playlist includes a medley of songs from The Nutcracker. Many of the melodies are instantly recognizable and bring smiles to the audience. It also instantly brings to mind the Joffrey Ballet’s annual performance of this piece each December. Also, this year, the Joffrey will perform Swan Lake, which is also part of tonight’s setlist.
Get tickets now for Our Great Tchaikovsky through May 13th!
Quinn Delaney
PlaylistHQ 