Temple Isaiah will be presenting a series on music and musicians focusing on Tchaikovsky and his friends on three Wednesdays in August.
The program will provide an overview of the work of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and the Russian Five—a set of composers in late-19th century Russia who are thought to represent the school of Russian National Music.
The Russian Five, also called the Mighty Handful, consisted of Mily Balakirev, the leader, Cesar Qui, Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. They were a great influence on the school of French Impressionists a generation later as well as the next wave of Russian composers: Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Glazunov and others. They were also, in many ways, a contrast to the most famous Russian composer of all, Peter Tchaikovsky. Their music, which turns gloomy with melodic charm and glitters with manic joy, still delights the world today.
The program will be hosted by Great Neck resident and well-known music authority Sina Kiai, who is a pianist, conductor, composer and teacher. Kiai has a BM in piano performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music, and has taught music appreciation classes and music history at Great Neck Continuing Education since 2010.
The program will be presented on three Wednesday evenings, Aug. 17, 24 and 31, at 7:30 p.m., and costs $15 for each session or $40 for the series. Temple Isaiah, a member congregation of the Union for Reform Judaism, is located at 1 Chelsea Place, off Cutter Mill Road. For more information, call 516-487-5373.
