"Didi Balle adds another winner to her catalog of "Symphonic Plays" with one about Tchaikovsky and his Fifth."
Tim Smith for The Baltimore Sun. April 2015  Full Article
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“I began this symphony in despair, wrestling again with fate, embracing its intelligent design.” 
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
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Does Tchaikovsky’s Fifth mirror the anguish and ecstasy of forbidden love,  a failed marriage and a secret patron?  Passion destroys.  Music redeems.

Act I
Music Excerpts from
Symphony No. 5

Act II
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
Complete

WORLD PREMIERE 
APRIL 2015
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Marin Alsop
Music Director & Conductor
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Playwright & Stage Director
Didi Balle

April 10, 2015: 
Strathmore Performing Arts Center 
April 11, 2015: 
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore

Commission: 
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Cast
Pyotr Tchaikovsky (Peter Bradbury) 
Modest Tchaikovsky (Steve Tague)
Antonina Milyukova Tchaikovsky
(Katie DeBuys)
Mrs. Nadezhda Von Meck (Laureen Smith)
Young Male/Silent Roles (Mike Dodge)

"The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has had its share of resident composers over the years, but it appears to be the first orchestra in the country to merge these two [music and theater] hallowed traditions by engaging a playwright in residence." Baltimore local NPR station interview. Listen HERE