May 5, 2014.Brahms and Tchaikovsky.Two great composers share a birthday this week: Johannes Brahms and Pyotr (Peter Ilyich) Tchaikovsky were born on May 7th, the former in 1833, the latter seven years later, in 1840.We feel that in the past years we’ve shortchanged Tchaikovsky a bit, so this year we’ll dedicate an entry to him.Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, a small town about 800 miles east of Moscow.His father,an engineer at the local ironworks, was from a line of Cossaks named Chaika ("seagull" in Russian).His mother, Alexandra, née d'Assier, was French on her father’s side.A piano teacher was hired when Tchaikovsky was five; he proved to be a quick learner but didn’t exhibit any special talents.His music studies ended soon after: when Tchaikovsky was 10, his parents decided to send him to St-Petersburg to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence, to be prepared for a more practical career.He started at the boarding prep school and entered the main school at the age of 12.Tchaikovsky was very close to his mother and suffered from their separation.When he was 14, Alexandra died of cholera; that traumatic event affected Tchaikovsky for the rest of his life.
Practically nothing at that time indicated Tchaikovsky’s talent: he took some additional piano lessons but his teacher told his father that he doesn’t see a future of a composer or performer for his pupil.Still, upon graduating and accepting a low-level position with the Ministry of Justice, Tchaikovsky decided to take classes in music theory organized by the Russian Music Society.Anton Rubinstein, ten years older than Tchaikovsky and by then already famous as a pianist and composer, was a founder.In 1862 these music classes evolved into a real conservatory, with Rubinstein at the helm.Tchaikovsky enrolled as a member of the first class, but still held on to his job at the Ministry, not sure about his musical future.In three years of studying at the Conservatory, his musical talent greatly evolved; Rubinstein would later call him a “genius.”That didn’t stop the conservative Rubinstein from criticizing Tchaikovsky’s first serious compositions.Symphony no. 1 (Winter Dreams) was one of such pieces.Tchaikovsky composed it in 1866.By then, he had graduated from the Conservatory and was having a hard time: César Cui, one of The Five, harshly criticized the cantata he wrote for graduation.In addition, the composition process was difficult and slow.When Tchaikovsky showed him the score, Rubinstein suggested significant changes.And even after Tchaikovsky accepted them, he remained dissatisfied with the results. In the end he refused to perform it altogether, and the Symphony was premiered two years later in Moscow, without Rubinstein’s alterations.It’s dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein, Anton’s brother, a talented pianist and Tchaikovsky’s dear friend.Here it is, probably the first important symphony in the history of Russian music.It is performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Herbert von Karajan.
At that time, Nikolai Rubinstein, with his brother Anton’s help and Prince Nikolai Troubetzkoy’s money, was organizing a conservatory in Moscow.He offered Tchaikovsky a professorship, which Tchaikovsky accepted, even though the salary was very modest.During those years Tchaikovsky continued to compose.The opera The Voyeboda was completed in 1868, and several piano pieces followed.String Quartet no. 1 was written in 1871 and the Snow Maiden two years later.He was also making money by writing articles in the newspaper "Russian Vedomosty."One of the composers he did not appreciate at all was Johannes Brahms.Tchaikovsky called him mediocre, pretentious, a pedestrian composer – all that after reading the piano transcriptions of Brahms’s symphonies, two piano concertos, the violin concerto and a number of chamber pieces.To appreciate the difference in insights of Tchaikovsky the composer and Tchaikovsky the critic, let’s listen to one of these scorned pieces, Brahms’s Symphony no. 1.Tchaikovsky may have been right that some of the Brahms’s writing is pompous and pretentious but still it’s music of genius, and by any measure much better than Tchaikovsky’s own pleasant but not terribly consequential first symphony.As the Tchaikovsky’s symphony above, this symphony is performed, live in this case, by the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan conducting.
Brahms and Tchaikovsky, 2014
May 5, 2014. Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Two great composers share a birthday this week: Johannes Brahms and Pyotr (Peter Ilyich) Tchaikovsky were born on May 7th, the former in 1833, the latter seven years later, in 1840. We feel that in the past years we’ve
shortchanged Tchaikovsky a bit, so this year we’ll dedicate an entry to him. Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, a small town about 800 miles east of Moscow. His father,an engineer at the local ironworks, was from a line of Cossaks named Chaika ("seagull" in Russian). His mother, Alexandra, née d'Assier, was French on her father’s side. A piano teacher was hired when Tchaikovsky was five; he proved to be a quick learner but didn’t exhibit any special talents. His music studies ended soon after: when Tchaikovsky was 10, his parents decided to send him to St-Petersburg to the Imperial School of Jurisprudence, to be prepared for a more practical career. He started at the boarding prep school and entered the main school at the age of 12. Tchaikovsky was very close to his mother and suffered from their separation. When he was 14, Alexandra died of cholera; that traumatic event affected Tchaikovsky for the rest of his life.
Practically nothing at that time indicated Tchaikovsky’s talent: he took some additional piano lessons but his teacher told his father that he doesn’t see a future of a composer or performer for his pupil. Still, upon graduating and accepting a low-level position with the Ministry of Justice, Tchaikovsky decided to take classes in music theory organized by the Russian Music Society. Anton Rubinstein, ten years older than Tchaikovsky and by then already famous as a pianist and composer, was a founder. In 1862 these music classes evolved into a real conservatory, with Rubinstein at the helm. Tchaikovsky enrolled as a member of the first class, but still held on to his job at the Ministry, not sure about his musical future. In three years of studying at the Conservatory, his musical talent greatly evolved; Rubinstein would later call him a “genius.” That didn’t stop the conservative Rubinstein from criticizing Tchaikovsky’s first serious compositions. Symphony no. 1 (Winter Dreams) was one of such pieces. Tchaikovsky composed it in 1866. By then, he had graduated from the Conservatory and was having a hard time: César Cui, one of The Five, harshly criticized the cantata he wrote for graduation. In addition, the composition process was difficult and slow. When Tchaikovsky showed him the score, Rubinstein suggested significant changes. And even after Tchaikovsky accepted them, he remained dissatisfied with the results. In the end he refused to perform it altogether, and the Symphony was premiered two years later in Moscow, without Rubinstein’s alterations. It’s dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein, Anton’s brother, a talented pianist and Tchaikovsky’s dear friend. Here it is, probably the first important symphony in the history of Russian music. It is performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Herbert von Karajan.
At that time, Nikolai Rubinstein, with his brother Anton’s help and Prince Nikolai Troubetzkoy’s money, was organizing a conservatory in Moscow. He offered Tchaikovsky a professorship, which Tchaikovsky accepted, even though the salary was very modest. During those years Tchaikovsky continued to compose. The opera The Voyeboda was completed in 1868, and several piano pieces followed. String Quartet no. 1 was written in 1871 and the Snow Maiden two years later. He was also making money by writing articles in the newspaper "Russian Vedomosty." One of the composers he did not appreciate at all was Johannes Brahms. Tchaikovsky called him mediocre, pretentious, a pedestrian composer – all that after reading the piano transcriptions of Brahms’s symphonies, two piano concertos, the violin concerto and a number of chamber pieces. To appreciate the difference in insights of Tchaikovsky the composer and Tchaikovsky the critic, let’s listen to one of these scorned pieces, Brahms’s Symphony no. 1. Tchaikovsky may have been right that some of the Brahms’s writing is pompous and pretentious but still it’s music of genius, and by any measure much better than Tchaikovsky’s own pleasant but not terribly consequential first symphony. As the Tchaikovsky’s symphony above, this symphony is performed, live in this case, by the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan conducting.