Pjotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

School Concert 2016-17

This school concert under the direction of “classical rebel” Teodor Currentzis was a very special event for the pupils.

Concert of the Wiener Symphoniker in the Wiener Konzerthaus, 10 January 2017, for school children aged 14–18.

Teodor Currentzis conductor
Malte Arkona presenter
Wiener Symphoniker

Vokalensemble Classique des Akademischen Gymnasiums Wien
Johann Pichler chorus master

Dire financial straits, the help of a shadowy patron, closet homosexuality, a sham marriage and the resulting inner torment, despair and depression leading to a suicide attempt: the circumstances swirling around Tchaikovsky’s life in 1877, the year in which he wrote his Symphony No. 4, certainly resonate throughout the piece. The preparation both through workshops in the schools and at the concert itself addressed this background. Quotations from Tchaikovsky were read out and musical sources discovered, for example the Russian folksong In the Field Stood a Birch Tree, which underlies the main melody of the fourth

The visit to the concert was much more interesting than I thought it would be, as the presenter created a great atmosphere.

I thought it was very well organised and very imaginative to have schoolchildren read out Tchaikovsky’s letters!

At the beginning, I thought it would be boring because we had to hand in our mobiles and that made me not want to go to the concert at all. However, it was really interesting because the presenter created a good atmosphere. The music was quite good and the acoustics were breath-taking.

The presenter was cool and made us all laugh.

I really liked the extracts from the letter read by schoolchildren and the school choir’s singing! As I sing in a choir myself, I thought it was great how beautifully they sung!

The conductor did a great job and the orchestra played beautifully! This is the first time I really enjoyed Classical Music!