The Front Porch Orchestra, a talented group of Eastern Shore musicians and artists, performed their spirited bluegrass version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker at Kent Island’s Cult Classic Brewery stage last Saturday afternoon and evening. Two performances, two full houses.
Another performance is scheduled for Chestertown’s Garfield Theater on Wednesday evening, Dec. 18.
Scored and arranged by one of the group’s musicians, the joyful music and kicky narration filled its audiences with the Christmas cheer the Russian composer no doubt intended.
Russia’s complex history and its current invader status added a layer of unspoken poignancy. Amidst Gypsy-inspired dances propelling the performers’ infectious swirl of music, thoughts of how Vladimir Putin and his war machine will be celebrating Christmas this year wormed their way into my consciousness as I listened. Ah, the many textures of human existence.
Nothing, however, could overshadow the immense sense of appreciation for the creativity, skill, and dedication of the performers, the arranger, and Pyotr Ilyich himself.
The Front Porch Orchestra added its own sugar plum to the conclusion of the performance with an uplifting version of Leonard Cohen’s Alleluia.
Such expressions of beauty and love continue to kindle hope for our trouble-filled world.[
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Saw it at the Avalon. Great – don’t miss it. Nancy Espenhorst
Tchaikovsky was NOT RUSSIAN. His grandfather, Pyotr Fedorovich Tchaikovsky, was born in the village of Nikolaevka, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, under an oppressive Russian Empire in present-day Mykolaivka, Ukraine. Americans do not comprehend Russian Imperialist oppression and just copy and paste the Russian version of World history. In order to understand what it was like to be a talented concert pianist forced to subdue their heritage in order to play their music, you should contact Laryssa Krupa, first generation Ukrainian American, Peabody-graduate and widow of world-renowned concert pianist, Olaksander Slobodyanik.