Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Born: 7 May 1840, Wotkinsk (Russia)
Died: 6 November 1893, St. Petersburg (Russia)

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Tchaikovsky news

• BCC programs complete Tchaikovsky
  (7 September 2006)
  

  The BBC web site has announced their plans for this season, when they want to program all Tchaikovsky compositions on radio and television. Coverage on TV will include Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, and Radio Three will devote a full week to Tchaikovsky (and Stravinsky) in February. Further to that there will also be a drama-documentary about his life and music, and a ducumentary of the BBC Philharmonic working on his ballet music for Romeo and Juliet and the Symphony no. 6, the so-called Pathétique.

  [source: news.bbc.co.uk]

Music

(contributed by David Perkins <dmperkins1earthlink.net>)

Symphonies

• Symphony No. 1, Opus 13 ("Winter Reveries" or "Winter Dreams") — in G minor. Composed, 1866 — First performed, 1868
• Symphony No. 2, Opus 17 (The "Little Russian") — in C minor. Composed, 1872; revised, 1879. Original unrevised performance, 1873; First performance of the revised edition, 1881
• Symphony No. 3, Opus 29 — in D major. Composed, 1875 — First performed, 1875
• Symphony No. 4, Opus 36 — in F Minor (Dedicated "To my best [*or* beloved] friend" His patroness, Nadezhda von Meck). Composed, 1877-78 — First performed, 1878
• Symphony (unnumbered), Opus 58 "Manfred" inspired by Lord Byron — in B minor. Composed, 1885 — First performed, 1886
• Symphony No. 5, Opus 64 — in E minor. Composed, 1888 — First performed, 1888
• Symphony No. 6, Opus 74 (The "Pathetique" [from the Russian "patetichesky" meaning "emotionally charged" or "full of passion"] — in B minor. Composed, 1893 — First performed, 1893 (Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893, ten days after the premiere performance)
• Symphony No. 7 (Reconstructed by Soviet Composer, Semyon Bogatyryev, from Tchaikovsky’s sketches) — in E flat major (The first movement was converted by Tchaikovsky into his one movement Piano Concerto #3). Reconstructed, 1956 — First performed, 1957

Other orchestral works

Tchaikovsky composed about a half-dozen student works during 1863-64, about which there are no performance records.

• "The Storm": overture to a drama by Ostrovsky, Opus 76 — in E minor Composed, 1864; First performed, 1896
• Overture for small orchestra — in F major Composed, 1865; First performed, 1865 (Revised for full orchestra 1866; First performed, 1866)
• Characteristic Dances — Composed, 1865; First performed, 1865 (Johann Strauss, Jr. conducted). (Dances later revised to be used in his opera, "The Voyevoda" First performed 1869, as "Dances of the Serving Maids")
• Concert Overture — in C minor. Composed, 1865-66; First Performed, 1931
• Ceremonial Overture on the Danish National Anthem — in D major — Opus 15. Composed, 1866; No record of its first performance.
• Symphonic Poem "Fate", Opus 77 — in C minor. Composed, 1868; First performed, 1869
• Overture "Romeo and Juliet" — in B major (Underwent two revisions, changed to "Fantasy-Overture" in 1880) Originally composed in 1869; First performed, 1870. Second revision, 1870.
• Serenade for small orchestra, composed for Nikolai Rubinstein’s Name Day Composed and performed 1872
• "The Tempest" Symphonic Fantasy, Opus 18 — in F minor. Composed and performed in 1873
• "Marche Slav", Opus 31 — in B flat minor. Composed and performed in 1876
• "Francesca da Rimini" Symphonic Fantasy — in E minor. Composed, 1876; First performed, 1877
• Suite No. 1, Opus 43 — in D minor. Composed, 1878; First performed, 1879 (Revised in D major, 1879)
• "Cappriccio Italienne", Opus 45 — in A major. Composed and performed in 1880
• Serenade for Strings, Opus 48 — in C major. Composed, 1880; First performed, 1881
• 1812 Overture, Opus 49 — in E Flat major. Composed, 1880; First performed, 1882
• Coronation March — in D major. Composed and performed in 1883
• Suite No. 2 — in C major. Composed, 1883; First performed, 1884
• Suite No. 3 — in G major. Composed, 1884; First performed, 1885
• Elegy for Samarin, composed for string orchestra — in G major. Composed and performed in 1884
• Jurists March — in D major. Composed, 1885 (no record of its first performance)
• Suite No. 4, "Mozartiana" — Composed and first performed in 1887
• "Hamlet" Fantasy Overture, Opus 67 — in F minor. Composed and performed in 1888
• "The Voyevoda", Opus 78 — in A minor. Composed and performed in 1891
• The Nutcracker Ballet Suite — in B minor. Composed and performed in 1892

Concertos and pieces for solo instrument and orchestra

• Piano Concerto #1 in B flat minor — Opus 23. Composed, 1874-75; First performed 1875 (Hans von Bulow was the soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra)
• Serenade Melancolique for violin and orchestra in B flat minor — Opus 26. Composed, 1875; First performed, 1876
• Variations on a Rococo Theme for cello and orchestra in A major — Opus 33. Composed, 1876; First performed, 1877
• Valse-Scherzo for violin and orchestra in C major — Opus 34. Composed, 1877; First performed, 1878
• Violin Concerto in D major — Opus 35. Composed, 1878; First performed, 1881
• Piano Concerto #2 in G major — Opus 44. Composed, 1879-80; First performed, 1882 (Was cut by Alexander Siloti in 1893, approved by Tchaikovsky — as the original was felt to be too long. However, the Piano Concerto #2 in its original version is quite magnificent and under-rated. It should be heard in its entirety.)
• Concert Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra in G major — Opus 56. Composed, 1884; First performed, 1885
• Pezzo Capriccioso for cello and orchestra in B minor — Opus 62. Composed, 1887; First performed, 1889
• Piano Concerto #3 in E flat major — Opus 75. Composed 1893; First performed, 1895. (The one movement concerto grew out of the first movement of a symphony sketch [see Symphony #7] — 2 more movements were later added by Sergei Tanayev.)
• Andante and Finale for Piano and Orchestra in B flat major, E flat major — Opus 79. Compostion started by Tchaikovsky one month before his death. It was completed and orchestrated by Tanayev in 1895, first performed in 1896

Operas

• Chorale work from an uncompleted Opera, Mandragora — composed in 1869 — first performed on December 18, 1869
• "The Voyevoda" — Opus 3 — Based on "A Dream on the Volga" by Alexander Ostrovsky. Libretto by Ostrovsky and Tchaikovsky. Composed 1867-68; First performed, 1869. 3 acts
• "Undine" — Based on "Undine" by Frederich de la Motte. Libretto by Count Vladimir Sollogub. Composed 1869, no available date for the first performance. 3 acts
• "The Oprichnik" — Based on "The Oprichniks" by Ivan Lazhechnikov. Libretto by Tchaikovsky. Composed 1870-72; First performed, 1874. 4 acts
• "Vakula the Smith" (Revised in 1885 as "Oxana’s Caprices" or "Cherevichki") — Opus 14 — Based on "Christmas Eve" by Nikolai Gogol. Libretto by Yakov Polonsky. Composed, 1874; First performed, 1876. 3 acts
• "Yevgeny Onegin" or "Eugene Onegin" — Opus 24 — Based on "Eugene Onegin" by Alexander Pushkin. Libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky and Tchaikovsky. Composed, 1877-78; First performed, 1879. 3 acts
• "Orleanskaya Dieva" or "The Maid of Orleans" — Based on "Die Jungfrau von Orleans" by Friedrich Schiller. Libretto by Tchaikovsky. Composed 1878-79; First performed, 1881. 4 acts [Vastly under-rated work—Tchaikovsky’s "grand opera."]
• "Mazeppa" — Based on Alexander Pushkin’s "Poltava." Libretto by Victor Burenin and Tchaikovsky. Composed 1881-83; First performed, 1884. 3 acts "Oxana’s Caprices" or "Chervichki" (See "Vakula the Smith" above) — Based on "Christmas Eve" by Nikolai Gogol. Libretto by Yakov Polonsky. Revised composition, 1885; First performed, 1887. 4 acts
• "The Sorceress" — Based on "The Sorceress" by Ippolit Shpazhinsky. Libretto by Shpazhinsky. Composed, 1885-87, First performed 1887. 4 acts
• "Pique Dame" or "The Queen of Spades" — Opus 68 — Based on "The Queen of Spades" by Alexander Pushkin. Libretto by Tchaikovsky’s brother, Modeste, and Tchaikovsky. Composed and performed in 1890. 3 acts
• "Iolanthe" or "Yolanta" — Opus 69 — Based on "King Rene’s Daughter" by Heinrich Hertz. Libretto by Tchaikovsky’s brother, Modeste. Composed, 1891; First performed, 1892. 1 act

Ballets

• "Swan Lake" — Opus 20 — Composed 1875-76; First performed, 1877
• "Sleeping Beauty" — Opus 66 — Composed 1888-89; First performed, 1890
• "The Nutcracker" — Opus 71 — Composed 1891-92; First performed, l892

Chamber music

Student works composed 1863-64 (no record for when any of these were performed):

• Allegretto for string quartet in E major
• Allegro vivace for string quartet in B flat major
• Andante molto for string quartet in G major
• Allegro for string quartet, piano, and double bass
• Adagio molto for string quartet and harp
• Andante ma non troppo, prelude for string quintet
• Allegretto molto for string trio
• Adagio for four horns
• Adagio for wind octet

• One movement string quartet in B flat major — composed and first performed in 1865
• String Quartet #1 in D major — Opus 11 — Composed and first performed in 1871
• String Quartet #2 in F major — Opus 22 — Composed and first performed in 1873
• String Quartet #3 in E flat minor — Opus 30 — Composed and first performed in 1876
• "Souvenir d’un lieu cher" for violin and piano in three movements — Opus 42 — Composed in 1878 — no record of its first performance
• Piano trio in A minor — Opus 50 — Composed, 1881-82; First performed, 1882. Written following the death of and in honor of Nikolai Rubinstein, dedicated "To the memory of a great artist"
• "Souvenir de Florence," string sextet in D minor — Opus 70 — First composed in 1887, revised twice — once in 1890 and then in 1892; first performed in its revised edition in 1892

Biography

(Contributed by Wim Vijvers <wgvijverswxs.nl>.)

Death: Tchaikovsky’s death still remains a controversial issue. Is there any truth in the theory about his alleged suicide? Or did he simply die from cholera, which is also not quite credible. The discussion was rekindled after the publication of Alexandra Orlova’s paper "Tchaikovsky: The Last Chapter" in Music & Letters 62 (1981) 125-145, and flared up again when several studies were published at the occasion of the centenary of his death. Anyone interested in the present state of affairs should consult the following publications, and the literature cited therein:

• David Brown, Tchaikovsky remembered, London, Faber and Faber Ltd., 1993, ISBN 0-571-16866-3; 0-571-16864-1 (pbk).
• N.O. Blinov, Poslednya bolezn’ i smert’ P.I. Chaykovskogo P.I. Tchaikovsky’s last illness and death), Muzyka, Moscow, 1994, ISBN 5-7148-0564-3.
• Richard Taruskin, Chaikovsky, Russia, sexuality and the study of music, in The New Republic, issue of 6 February 1995.
• Alexander Poznansky, Tchaikovsky’s Last Days; A Documentary Study, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1996, ISBN: 019816596X David Brown, How did Tchaikovsky come to die - and does it really matter? Music & Letters, Vol. 78, No. 4, 581-8 (November 1997).

Concerts

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Events

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Links

• http://tchaikovsky.50webs.com
• Lieder and song texts
• Tchaikovsy page by Gretchen Lamb
• The pianosociety’s Tchaikowsky page