08/28/2026
Our final series of performances is approaching — and before we get there, we're presenting a program featuring Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence. Scored for string sextet (2 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos), this piece punches well above its chamber-music weight. Here's why it demands to be seen live:
✨ Symphonic ambition, chamber intimacy
Tchaikovsky composed this shortly after his Fifth Symphony, and it shows: sweeping melodies and expansive emotional arcs, distilled into six musicians who must breathe and phrase as a single instrument.
🇷🇺 Russian soul, Italian sunlight
The piece was sketched while Tchaikovsky was in Florence, but its melody remains unmistakably Russian — aching, minor-key lyricism giving way to dance-like exuberance.
🎻 An unforgettable finale
The closing movement is a fugal, virtuosic sprint to the finish line. Watching six players navigate that speed and precision in perfect coordination — cueing one another, bows flying — is a spectacle in its own right.
🎶 A rare performance
The program requires six elite string players who can truly gel as an ensemble. Catching it live feels like an event — not just another evening of repertoire.
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Sunday, August 30, 4:00pm: Midsummer's Music | Tchaikovsky, Souvenir de Florence, at Kress Pavilion, Egg Harbor
Tuesday, September 1, 7:00pm: Midsummer's Music | Tchaikovsky, Souvenir de Florence, at PenArt, Fish Creek
Thursday, September 3, 7:00pm: Midsummer's Music | Tchaikovsky, Souvenir de Florence, at Courtney/Reschka Residence, Sister Bay
Saturday, September 5, 3:00pm: Midsummer's Music | Tchaikovsky, Souvenir de Florence, at The Clearing, Ellison Bay
