“It angers me that this conceited mediocrity is regarded as a genius,” Pyotr Tchaikovsky once wrote about the music of Johannes Brahms. While the famed Russian composer and Brahms were contemporaries, born seven years apart on the same day, Tchaikovsky had no shortage of disparaging comments about Brahms’ music. Conversely, it is said that Brahms once fell asleep while attending a rehearsal of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. In this extraordinary, original production conceived by violinist Daniel Hope, multimedia elements will build a backdrop to the performance of masterworks by the two composers. With actors portraying Tchaikovsky and Brahms on either side of the stage, this concert will illuminate tales of their rivalry and the differences with which the two men approached composing to achieve masterful results. This concert will offer classical newcomers an entertaining introduction to the genre