World premiere of 'Concerto' pays masterful homage to Tchaikovsky and his relationships

Brandy McDonnell, The Oklahoman
·4 min read

Between his iconic ballets "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake" and his cannon-punctuated "1812 Overture," Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky maintains the mantle of the most popular Russian composer of all time.

But there is much more to the famed Romantic era composer's (1840-1893) life than just the music he wrote — especially when you learn about the woman who made much of his music possible.

Continuing its 60th anniversary season, Lyric Theatre is telling the story of Tchaikovsky (Lyric mainstay Matthew Alvin Brown) and his longtime friend, pen pal and patroness Nadezhda Filaretovna von Meck (Kris Schinske, an experienced Oklahoma actor making her Lyric debut) with its captivating world-premiere production of "Concerto." 

The long-running Oklahoma City professional theater is staging the global bow of Alan Olejniczak's riveting fact-based musical drama through Oct. 1 at its Plaza District theater.

Matthew Alvin Brown, left, who stars as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, watches pianist Joao Pedro Pena Dutra play during a performance of Lyric Theatre's world-premiere production of "Concerto," a fact-based play by Alan Olejniczak.
Matthew Alvin Brown, left, who stars as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, watches pianist Joao Pedro Pena Dutra play during a performance of Lyric Theatre's world-premiere production of "Concerto," a fact-based play by Alan Olejniczak.

Why does Lyric Theatre's new work 'Concerto' have a misleading title?

Part of Lyric Theatre's ongoing, decade-old New Works Initiative, "Concerto" ostensibly reveals the backstory behind the creation of Tchaikovsky’s one and only violin concerto.

Penned in 1878 but not premiered until 1881, his "Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35" was initially polarizing and had some vocal detractors. But it now is now regarded as a masterwork and one of the most popular violin concertos ever composed.

Although Olejniczak's new play indeed goes "Behind the Music" of the concerto's fraught creation, the show actually delves much deeper into Tchaikovsky’s unusual relationship with von Meck (1831-1894), the wealthy businesswoman and widow of a Russian railroad tycoon whose generous support, allowances and friendship made many of the composer's most enduring works possible.

In the process, it also chronicles the ill-fated love affair between Tchaikovsky and violinist Iosif Kotek (Sheridan McMichael, another Lyric favorite), a former student of the composer's who takes a job as a music tutor and player for von Meck's household ensemble while also sometimes taking on the role as a music arranger and muse for Tchaikovsky.

It's through Kotek that Tchaikovsky and von Meck initially connect and forge their unconventional bond, and the violinist often serves as a go-between for them. Since both had reclusive tendencies, the composer and patroness opted never to meet in person, instead building their relationship on the more than 1,000 letters they penned and exchanged over almost 14 years.

Drawn largely from their letters, Olejniczak's play covers the troubled Tchaikovsky's desperation to hide his homosexuality, his doomed marriage to Antonina Miliukova, his imbalanced relationship with Kotek and his cycling crises of confidence.

The show also dives into von Meck's struggles with widowhood and parenthood, her poor childhood and young adulthood, her determination to keep her late husband's business and legacy thriving, her jealousy over the composer's marriage and her passion for using her wealth to feed her love of the arts, particularly music.

Surprisingly, hundreds of letters between the two friends have survived the 130 years since their deaths, and Olejniczak has adeptly adapted them into his play. Along with the enthralling history lesson, his "Concerto" also explores still-resonant notions about how art is created, funded and critiqued.

Sheridan McMichael, left, who plays Iosif Kotek, watches violinist Samuel Gilles play during a performance of Lyric Theatre's world-premiere production of "Concerto," a fact-based play by Alan Olejniczak.
Sheridan McMichael, left, who plays Iosif Kotek, watches violinist Samuel Gilles play during a performance of Lyric Theatre's world-premiere production of "Concerto," a fact-based play by Alan Olejniczak.

How does Lyric Theatre's 'Concerto' bring Tchaikovsky's famed music to the stage live?

Directed by Lyric Producing Artistic Director Michael Baron, "Concerto" features top-notch performances by its trio of Oklahoma actors, who wisely skip out on affecting Russian accents and instead focus on immersing themselves and the audience in these fascinating real-life characters.

Thanks to the masterful efforts of set designer Uldarico Sarmiento, ably aided by lighting designer Fabian J. Garcia, Lyric's "Concerto" is cannily staged to emphasize that Tchaikovsky and von Meck are communicating intimately without ever being in the same room.

Props designer Courtney Strong ensures that their two sides of the stage are not only convincingly furnished for the story's 19th-century timeframe but also that von Meck's side shows the signs of her considerable wealth. Similarly, Jeffrey Meek's costume designs keep us engaged in the Romantic period of the 1800s.

Lyric Theatre is producing the "inspired by a true story" drama in collaboration with the Oklahoma City Philharmonic and Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate, who is working as the music supervisor on "Concerto."

Kris Schinske stars as Nadezhda von Meck in Lyric Theatre's world-premiere production of Alan Olejniczak's fact-based play "Concerto."
Kris Schinske stars as Nadezhda von Meck in Lyric Theatre's world-premiere production of Alan Olejniczak's fact-based play "Concerto."

Talented musicians Joao Pedro Pena Dutra on piano and Samuel Gilles on violin occupy center stage throughout the show, deftly performing more than a dozen excerpts from Tchaikovsky's most beloved works, including his "Violin Concerto," "Sérénade mélancolique" and "Song of the Swan" from "Swan Lake."

The duo also plays snippets of famed pieces by Richard Wagner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy and other legendary composers, performing skillfully even when the pieces are not presented in the most flattering context.

The one-act play, which runs about an hour and 15 minutes, is the 10th title in Lyric's New Works Initiative and a melodious reminder that OKC is lucky to have a professional theater company so devoted to adding new shows to the theatrical canon.

'CONCERTO' WORLD PREMIERE

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Go behind the music of Tchaikovsky with OKC theater's great 'Concerto'