|
|
 |
 |
 |
| Wednesday, 03 November 2004 |
 |
|
 |
Artscope | |
| News Business Features Editorial Security Politics World Letters Sports Obituaries
|
Peter Tchaikovsky The relentless composer by Derrick Schokman In the 19th century there were two schools of music in Russia. "The Five" (Kuchka( was a group formed in 1862 with Balakirev, Caesar Cui, Mussorgsky, Borodin and Rumsky-Korsakou, centred in St. Petersburg. They invented themes with a Russian character, which they poured into a national mould, providing them with exotic colouring. By a singular coincidence they Conservatoire was also founded in St. Petersburg in the same year under the direction of Rubenstein. The Conservatoire musicians were brought up in the classical and Romantic tradition with a solid technical background. Tchaikovsky was a product of the conservatoire. Unhappy His early life was unhappy. He lost his mother while still a boy, and lived in near poverty as a minor civil servant until he was given a teaching post in the Conservatoire at St. Petersburg, and later became music director in the Moscow Conservatoire.
Tchaikovsky was helped by Madezhda von Meck, a pen-admirer of his work, who made him financially secure and gave him the confidence to carry on with the demanding task of composition. As a composer he too used authentic folk melodies, but submitted them, unlike "The Five", to occidental treatment. His instinct was for symphony and ballet. The most representative of his symphonies in concert programs today are No. 4 in F min or (1877-78) dedicated to Madezhda, No 5 on E minor (1888) and his greatest No. 5 in B minor, Pathetique (1888-89). The Manfred, not listed among the numbered symphonies, is truly romantic in the style of Berlioz and Liszt. Unfortunately it is sadly neglected in concert performances today. Fate Tchaikovsky is often reproached for his excessive post-Romantic sentimentality. A Schummanesque idea of fate overshadows his work. In a letter to von Meck he once remarked: "Fate hangs over our heads like a Sword of Damocles, and inexorably distils a slow and deadly venom. One must bend to it and abandon oneself to soundless despair. In fact, that is what the Pathetique symphony is all about - it is Tchaikovsky's own struggle against destiny and his final acceptance of it. It was as though he was writing his own requiem. Strangely, he died eight days after conducting this symphony at St. Petersburg in 1893. Self-pity To say on the evidence of this last and most wonderful symphony that Tchaikovsky's music is dominated by self-pity is quite uncalled for. It would be foolish to draw a close parallel between his physical and mental weaknesses and his artistic achievements. This is the same composer who produced three ballet masterpieces: Swan Lake (1875-76), The Sleeping Beauty (1888-89) and The Nutcracker (1891-92) with their seductive rhythms and colours matched to Pepita's choreography. The violin Concerto in D major (1888) bubbles over with joie de vivre, as does the Italian Capriccio, which is one of his most joyful works with an abundance of scintillating orchestral techniques. Another golden work is the serenade for string Orchestra and the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B minor (1874-75). The wonderful "Overture-Fantasia" Romeo and Juliet and the A Minor Trio are also music to remember. So is Tchaikovsky's finest opera Eugene Onegin, where the passionate Tatiana is enough to demonstrate how irrelevant his abnormalities were to his artistic capabilities. In the above-stated compositions Tchaikovsky was able to match his greatest contemporaries, both in emotional favour and intellectual brilliance. By the last year of his life he had achieved a success that few composers enjoyed during their lifetime. His compositions were played to enthusiastic audiences all over Europe and America. He was inconstant demand as a conductor. Honours also came his way. He was elected a corresponding member of the Academie Francaise, and awarded a honorary doctorate of music by the Cambridge University, along with Saint Saens, Boito, Bruch and Grieg. The popularity of his music has never been greater. **** Back **** |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
Produced by Lake House |
