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| Hershey Felder portrays Tchaikovsky. (Hershey Felder Presents photo) |
Piotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky gave the world a
treasure trove of memorable music.
Hershey Felder brings that music and its inspiration
to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in his “Our Great Tchaikovsky.” Felder is known
in the Bay Area for writing and performing his one-man shows about such musical
luminaries as Bernstein, Beethoven, Berlin, Gershwin and Chopin.
This one is slightly different from the others in
that it begins with Felder speaking to the audience as himself. He reads a
letter from the Russian government inviting him to perform his Tchaikovsky
piece in Russia.
He returns to that invitation at the end of the show
and explains why he has some trepidation about accepting it. Russia still has
little tolerance for homosexuals and the promotion of homosexuality.
“Our Great
Tchaikovsky” makes no secret about Tchaikovsky’s homosexuality, his efforts to
hide it and its effect on his music.
His “Romeo and Juliet,” for example, was inspired by
his fixation on a 15-year-old boy.
This information emerges during Felder’s recounting
of Tchaikovsky’s early life, his strict upbringing and his musical genius,
which became apparent when he was just 6 years old.
In an effort to hide his homosexuality, which he
called his “proclivity,” Tchaikovsky entered into a marriage of convenience. He
and his wife soon separated and lived apart for the rest of his life, but they
never divorced.
An accomplished pianist, Felder plays much of the
music, sometimes singing the orchestral part, sometimes using recorded music.
Directed by Trevor Hay, he says Tchaikovsky disliked
“Overture 1812,” which ironically became his best known and most popular work.
It’s presented complete with fireworks, cannons and church bells in its finale.
Felder also designed the set, which comprises a
drawing room in the foreground and trees in the background. It’s augmented by
ever-changing lighting and projections by Christopher Ash. For example, projections
for “Swan Lake” feature an abstract pas de deux.
Another musical highlight is excerpts from “The
Nutcracker.” Also heard are passages from his
symphonies and other works.
Felder is an engaging performer who presents
interesting musical and biographical information. The latter is researched by
Meghan Maiya.
Running about an hour and 40 minutes without
intermission, “Our Great Tchaikovsky” will continue through Feb. 11 at the
Mountain Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. For
tickets and information, call (650) 463-1960 or visit www.theatreworks.org.
