The Tchaikovsky Affair Read Free Page A

seemingly interm inable rehearsal ended when the Philharmonic producers waltzed in, a red-haired man Shannon didn’t recognize on their heels.
    Maestro Gallo’s face broke into a wide, probably insincere, smile. “Ah, here are our lovely producers with some exciting news for all of you!”
    Shannon’s eyes lit up and her back got impossibly straighter as she eagerly awaited the news.
    The two producers stepped forward, leaving the red-haired man a few steps be hind, and introduced themselves.
    “For those of you new to the ensemble, I’m Robert Carlton, and this is Melissa Washington. We are both thrilled for this season and are hoping it will be successful.”
    Robert Carlton was a tall, imposing man with a booming voice.  He had black hair and a perpetual five-o’clock shadow that peppered his olive skin.  Melissa Washington, on the other hand, was a stout black woman, but despite her small stature, she was every bit as imposing as Carlton.  The two made an odd-looking, but effective, pair.
    “As you are all probably aware,” Melissa cut in. “The economy, for lack of a better word, sucks right now. It is luxuries like attending concerts that people are cutting out of their lives. I know we don’t consider this a luxury, but it is an unfortunate reality. We have lost many of our donors and ticket sales have been down.”
    “I know this is not what you want to hear so early in the season when the room is still filled with the buzz of excitement of new music and new family members. But, don’t fear, we have a plan to make this the best season yet and to make it so that people don’t have a choice but to come see what’s in store!” Robert finished with a flourish. He and Melissa had a lot invested in this.
    “That’s where Michael Mulroney comes in,” Melissa said, gesturing for the man behind them to step forward. “Michael is well known for his innovative arrangements of classic pieces less adventurous arrangers wouldn’t even think to touch. We heard about his creative new take on Tchaikovsky’s ‘Violin Concerto in D’ and knew we have to have him. We are incredibly lucky that he said yes.”
    Wondering where this was going, members of the orchestra began murmuring to themselves, most of them excited, some of them grumbling about learning the wrong version for no reason.
    “Mr. Mulroney, will you do the honors?” Robert asked.
    “I’d love to,” Michael replied, a slight blush darkening his already ruddy complexion. “First of all, I’d like to take a moment to say that I am honored to be working with you, and I think that together, we will create something truly innovative and magical.
    “The typical third movement of this piece is the rousing orchestral backdrop to a riveting violin solo.” Shannon grinned at the mention of the solo, her solo. “But this is, as I said, typical. It’s one of the most famous violin concertos in the world. While it is admittedly impressive when done right, and I have no doubt that Ms. McClintock would do it absolute justice, the audience will know what to suspect, and in this economic climate some may choose to simply forgo the experience all together, no matter how accurately the song is performed.”
    Shannon ’s breath caught in her throat. This couldn’t be happening to her. They couldn’t be taking away her solo. She had worked far too hard for this all just to be swept out from under her. She tried to keep her breathing regular and attempted to display no emotions in front of her colleagues, in front of Jackie.
    “Don’t worry, Ms. McClintock,” Robert said. Obviously she wasn’t as nonchalant as she’d hoped. “The solo is not being taken away from you; we are just adding another dynamic. This will be difficult for you two, but we are turning the solo into a duet. As you all know, the solo is very paradoxical, almost schizophrenic, switching from lightening fast melismas to melancholic, legato passages. We want to use that paradox to our