Serenade for Strings, Élégie

When Orlando meets his great love, the Russian princess Sasha, Vita Sackville joins the tale. Vita, the author’s muse and lover, exchanged countless letters with Virginia Woolf. This production draws on their correspondence as well as the novel, juxtaposing the two love stories: Orlando and Sasha, Virginia and Vita… Love stories that transcend gender and time. Only feelings matter.

Tchaikovsky, the ultimate Russian Romantic composer, provides the score to capture the passion and thrill of this encounter. The third movement of his Serenade for Strings, titled “Elegy,” features a main theme that is both passionate and dreamlike, at times infused with a touch of nostalgia. It’s a particularly expressive work, a perfect accompaniment to the excitement of a first love.

Following his heart, Orlando asks Sasha to run away with him. He tells her to meet him at midnight and waits… in vain. Hurt by the rejection, he withdraws to his estates, where he wallows in despair and resigns himself to death, falling into a deep sleep.