Dancing with Tchaikovsky: A Night of Russian Romance at Aliw Theater

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Some evenings promise more than music. They promise ceremony, history, and a communion between artist and audience. On September 27, 2025, the Manila Symphony Orchestra—now in its 99th season—invites us into such an evening at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City. The concert, aptly titled Dancing with Tchaikovsky, offers a luminous journey through the Russian Romantic’s majestic soundscapes.

The Music That Endures

At the heart of the program lies Tchaikovsky’s Festival Coronation March, a work written in a rush of weeks for Tsar Alexander III’s coronation in 1883. Bold brass fanfares and regal rhythms set the tone—music meant to be heard under gilded arches and in grand halls, but equally stirring in the way it commands our attention today. From there, the night flows into the Variations on a Rococo Theme for Cello and Orchestra—a homage to Mozart’s poise and elegance, but laced with Tchaikovsky’s signature emotional depth. Graceful themes unfurl, demanding both delicacy and virtuosity from the soloist. The evening closes in the realm of fairy tales: the Sleeping Beauty Suite, where waltzes shimmer, adagios sigh, and character dances transport us to a court both regal and enchanted.

The Artists Who Carry the Night

Taking the podium is Alexander Vikulov, a conductor whose roots trace back to Saint Petersburg’s grand stages and whose career has carried him across Vienna, Seoul, Helsinki, and Manila. Born to renowned ballet dancers, his artistry bridges worlds—opera, ballet, symphony—all threaded together by the language of music.

Sharing the stage is Damodar Das Castillo, a young Filipino cello prodigy whose journey has already taken him from Salzburg’s Mozarteum to international competition halls across Europe. He performs here as a scholar of the MSJO–Standard Insurance International Scholarship Program, playing on a George Gerl cello that sings both history and promise.

The Orchestra That Holds the Legacy

To hear Tchaikovsky under the bow and baton of these artists is already a gift. But to hear it carried by the Manila Symphony Orchestra—an institution that has endured wars, rebuilt cities, and is now on the road to its centennial in 2026—is to feel part of something larger. The MSO is not just an orchestra; it is a living testament to resilience, to artistry that refuses to be silenced.

Why This Night Matters

Concerts like Dancing with Tchaikovsky remind us why we gather in theaters. To feel history brush against the present. To witness youth and mastery converse in sound. To allow music written for coronations and ballets long past to find a heartbeat in Pasay City, here and now.

On this night, the Aliw Theater becomes more than a venue. It becomes a palace, a dreamscape, a stage where Russia’s Romantic soul dances once more—only this time, it dances with us.

Tickets and Offers

Tickets range from ₱650 (General Admission B) to ₱3,500 (VIP), available via Ticketworld. Generous discounts await—50% off for students (code: TCHAIKOVSKYSTUDENT50), 20% off for seniors and PWDs (code: TCHAIKOVSKYMSO20), and an Early Bird Promo (20% off) until September 15, 11:59 PM (code: TCHAIKOVSKYEB20).

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