The Russian conductor Alexander Sladkovski. Photo courtesy of the owner.
Who among us does not know Swan Lake, the 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker or Piano Concerto No. 1? Filled with iconic melodies, the works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky will echo in Beirut on Wednesday, May 7, as the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra performs under the baton of Alexander Sladkovski. The event marks the famed Russian composer’s 185th birthday.
The concert, held at Saint Joseph Church in Monnot, features Sergei Slovachevsky, principal cellist of the prestigious Mariinsky Theatre and a respected coach and teacher. It is organized under the patronage of Russian Ambassador Alexander Rudakov and Hiba Kawas, interim director of Lebanon’s National Higher Conservatory of Music.
Sladkovski’s early path to greatness
Born to a piano teacher, Sladkovski “spoke music before he spoke words.” At age 13, he met legendary conductor Yuri Temirkanov during an educational program — an encounter that shaped his destiny.
Sladkovski earned a gold medal at the Moscow Conservatory and later graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory, where he launched his career and eventually became chief conductor of the school’s opera and ballet theater. He now leads the Tatarstan National Symphony Orchestra in Kazan, gaining recognition from international labels such as Medici and Mezzo, which have recorded many of his performances.
His accolades include the 2016 title of “People’s Artist of the Russian Federation,” “People’s Artist of Tatarstan” in 2020, a win at the III Prokofiev International Competition in 1999, and the International Rachmaninoff Prize in 2019.
A date rich in symbolism
The May 7 performance pays tribute not only to Tchaikovsky’s birth, but also to the historical significance of May 9 — known as Victory Day — which commemorates the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany and the Allied victory in World War II. The Soviet Union, which lost an estimated 20 million people during what it calls the Great Patriotic War, bore a heavy toll.
“What better way to celebrate the battle between good and evil,” said Sladkovski, “than through the legacy of a Russian and international icon?”
The program includes selections such as Slavonic March, Waltz of the Flowers, and the 1812 Overture. The latter, portraying Russia’s victory over Napoleon’s invading forces, famously opens with the Marseillaise and ends in a thunderous crescendo of cannon fire, timpani and brass.
May 7 also carries personal meaning for Sladkovski — it is the birthday of his mother, who first introduced him to music. The program is devoted entirely to the works of Tchaikovsky, whose vast and varied output mirrors the breadth of his homeland.
A colossus of Russian music
Though best known for his three ballets — Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker — Tchaikovsky’s output was enormous. He composed six symphonies, 11 operas (including Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades), four orchestral suites, four string quartets, three piano concertos, dozens of overtures, waltzes, concertos for various instruments, sacred music, romances, and a vast body of chamber and solo piano works.
“All three of his ballets are essential to any company’s repertoire,” Sladkovski noted.
The Russian Beethoven
To Sladkovski, Tchaikovsky is “a genius — the greatest melodist, a master of structure and polyphony.” He was the first student to earn a gold medal at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory under the mentorship of Anton Rubinstein.
Just as German influence shaped Russia’s early musical tradition — and French and Italian schools informed its ballet — Tchaikovsky drew on composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Bruckner and Wagner, whose use of thematic melody, or leitmotif, deeply inspired him.
“In symphonic form, he is our Beethoven; in melody, he is our Wagner,” Sladkovski said.
Voice of the Russian soul
Tchaikovsky’s work is marked by emotional depth, narrative strength and rich orchestration. “He raised the bar when it came to expressing emotions,” Sladkovski told L’Orient-Le Jour. “He was one of the masters of the Romantic era, after the Germans had dominated the scene.”
His music, though molded by Western traditions, draws heavily on Russian folk themes. While not the first to do so — Mikhail Glinka paved the way — Tchaikovsky helped reintroduce Russian folk melodies to domestic and global audiences.
His lyrical, passionate and often tragic works helped define what would become known as russkaya dusha — the Russian soul.
Because the soul of classical music transcends borders, Sladkovski hopes to build cultural bridges between Russia and Lebanon — specifically between Kazan and Beirut. During his first visit to Lebanon, he invited Kawas to participate in the international music festival he directs in Kazan.
“This is also our mission as musicians,” he said.
