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Tchaikovsky Tchaikovsky-"Symphonies NO.4,5,6" (Symphonies NO.4,5,6)Mravinsky, LePO, DG[APE]
Mravinsky conducts the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra, the world-recognized authoritative version!
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Tchaikovsky, п.и
Пётильич Чайковский (1840～1893)
Russian composer .
Life Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840 in a village near Kamsk-Votkinsk, Vyatka Province. His father was a mining engineer who moved to St. Petersburg in 1848. In 1850, Tchaikovsky entered the St. Petersburg Law School and took music courses as an elective, studying piano with Т.И. Filippov. After graduating from law school in 1859, he entered the Ministry of Justice and studied music. In 1861, he entered the music class of the Russian Music Association. In 1862, Russia's first higher music school, the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music (today's Leningrad Conservatory of Music), was established on the basis of music classes. Tchaikovsky became the first batch of students at the school. He studied harmony and polyphony under the guidance of Zalymba, and orchestration and composition under the guidance of A.G. Rubinstein. Due to the conflict between his duties in the Ministry of Justice and studying music, Tchaikovsky resolutely resigned from his job in the Ministry of Justice in 1863 and devoted himself entirely to the career of music. In 1865, Tchaikovsky graduated with honors from the St. Petersburg Conservatory of Music. His graduation work was the cantata "Ode to Joy" (poem by J.C.F. Schiller), for which he won the Silver Medal. In the same year, at the invitation of N.G. Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky came to Moscow to teach at the newly established Moscow Conservatory of Music and began intense creative activities. In about 10 years, Tchaikovsky wrote many early masterpieces, including three symphonies, piano concertos, operas, dance dramas, orchestral overtures, chamber ensembles, etc. Due to the heavy teaching workload, Tchaikovsky was distressed that he could not devote all his energy to creation. But for financial reasons, he had to continue teaching. In July 1877 Tchaikovsky married А.И. Milyukova. This was an unhappy marriage. Tchaikovsky was extremely painful about it and soon divorced. The contradiction between creation and teaching work and the misfortune brought about by marriage made Tchaikovsky mentally burdened heavily. In 1876, Tchaikovsky established a correspondence friendship with Mrs. Meck, which gave Tchaikovsky great spiritual comfort. Mrs. Meck was a well-educated wealthy widow who loved Tchaikovsky's works very much. The two established a deep friendship through frequent correspondence. Starting in 1877, Mrs. Meck gave Tchaikovsky generous financial support every year, making it possible for Tchaikovsky to resign from his teaching position at the Conservatory of Music and devote all his energy to creation. The more than 10 years from 1877 to his death was a period of brilliant achievements for Tchaikovsky in creation. His Symphonies No. 4, 5, and 6 as well as the title symphony "Manfred", the operas "Eugene Onegin", "Magepa", "The Queen of Spades" and "Iolanthe" , the dance dramas "Sleeping Beauty", "The Nutcracker", as well as "Violin Concerto", "Italian Caprice", "1812 Overture" and many romantic pieces are all masterpieces of this period.
Tchaikovsky traveled to Western Europe many times in his life, and in 1891 he went to the United States to conduct and perform his own works. In May 1893, Tchaikovsky received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. On October 28, he personally conducted the first performance of his Sixth Symphony in St. Petersburg. He died of cholera on November 6 (another One theory is that he died by suicide).
Creation Tchaikovsky lived in a period of decay and decline of the Tsarist autocracy. He loves his motherland and cares about the fate of the Russian people, but he cannot see a way out for Russian society. He deeply felt the darkness and corruption of Russian politics in his life, but his political attitude was that of a conservative supporter of the dynasty. This insurmountable contradiction constantly prompted Tchaikovsky to think deeply about the future of the motherland, the future of society, and the meaning of life, and incorporated this feeling of life into his creations.
This can be said to be the basic ideological tendency of Tchaikovsky's creation. Although Tchaikovsky did not directly choose real political life and social conflicts as the themes of his creations, he deeply revealed his pursuit of bright ideals and understanding of the meaning of life through his feelings about the tragedy of the times.
Tchaikovsky embarked on the path of creation during the upsurge of Russian revolutionary democratic ideas in the mid-1960s. The progressive social thoughts of the 1960s had a positive impact on Tchaikovsky. Although he was relatively conservative in his political views, he maintained the progressive tradition of the 1960s in his ideological and aesthetic views throughout his life. From the basic aspect of creation, Tchaikovsky's early creations tended to express his pursuit and confidence in bright joy, while his later creations tended to express profound tragedy. The "Fourth Symphony" and the opera "Eugene Onegin" he wrote in the late 1970s are his works at the junction of the two periods.
In terms of genres, Tchaikovsky was a master composer covering a wide range of genres. He left a large number of masterpieces in symphonies, operas, dance dramas, concertos, concert overtures, chamber music and vocal romances.
The symphony plays a prominent role in Tchaikovsky's works. Tchaikovsky wrote 6 symphonies and 1 title symphony in his lifetime. His 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and symphonies were written before the mid-1970s, and they are all early creations. These three symphonies reflect the connection between Tchaikovsky and the Russian symphonic music tradition since M.И Glinka. These three symphonies are all life style and lyrical works, and often use folk song materials in their themes. Tchaikovsky's last three symphonies and the "Manfred" symphony. They are late creations, and their style turns to profound psychological depiction. Their themes all express the conflict between the protagonist's desire for happiness and the "bad luck" that blocks happiness. The "Fourth Symphony" in F minor was written in 1877-1878. The author dedicated this piece to Mrs. Meck, but in the manuscript of the score he only wrote "To my dear friend". Tchaikovsky gave the symphony's prelude theme a very important meaning, letting it run through the entire four movements of the symphony, calling it the core of the entire work and a symbol of "doom". Although there is a tragic and fierce conflict between individuals and misfortunes in the first movement, the final movement reflects the optimistic ending of trying to get rid of depression, go to the people, and gain confidence in life from the people's joy. The Fifth Symphony in E minor was written in 1888. In this symphony, there is also a prelude theme representing the image of "doom" that runs throughout the whole piece, and the whole piece also ends in a triumphal coda. The Sixth Symphony in B minor was written in 1893. After the piece was completed, Tchaikovsky accepted the suggestion of his brother Modest and titled it "Pathétique". This piece is the pinnacle of Tchaikovsky's tragic symphony creation. The whole song reaches a tragic ending after intense dramatic conflicts and a beautiful longing for life. The final movement goes against the traditional layout of a symphony and replaces the passionate finale with an Adagio that closely resembles the atmosphere of a memorial song. The title symphony "Manfred" was written in 1885. This is a symphony based on G.G. Byron's poetic drama of the same name. The final fate of the depressed and unhappy protagonist is full of tragedy.
Opera is another important area in Tchaikovsky’s creation. Tchaikovsky wrote 11 operas in his lifetime, among which the most outstanding works are his "Eugene Onegin" and "The Queen of Spades". The librettos of both operas are adapted from A.C. Pushkin's work of the same name. "Eugene Onegin" was written in 1877-1878. The opera shows the tragedies experienced by Tatyana, Onegin, Lensky and other aristocratic young people in their hazy pursuit of ideal life because they were tired of the lifestyle of their own class, and showed the trend of history. The music is characterized by long, lyrical melodies and detailed expression of the characters' psychology. "The Queen of Spades" was written in 1890. The theme of "The Queen of Spades" is also the tragedy of the ideal of happiness being shattered by cruel reality. Music has a strong artistic appeal in portraying characters and expressing dramatic conflicts.
Tchaikovsky also made world-significant achievements in the creation of dance drama music. He wrote 3 dance drama music in his life: "Swan Lake" (1875-1876), "Sleeping Beauty" (1888-1889) and "The Nutcracker" (1891-1892), all of which have become hugely influential works in the world of dance drama art. , widely circulated on ballet stages in various countries.
Tchaikovsky made many innovations in dance drama music. He overcame the formulaic shortcomings of dance drama music in the past, gave dance drama music a symphonic development, made it more dramatic, and greatly improved the expressive power of dance drama music.
In terms of instrumental concertos, Tchaikovsky's more outstanding works are his "Piano Concerto No. 1" in B flat minor (1874~1875) and "Violin Concerto" in D major (1878). The former is a bright and optimistic work. The first movement is passionate, the second movement is beautiful and lyrical, and the final movement is rough and heroic, and the whole piece ends in a magnificent and triumphant music. The latter is also a work full of joyful emotions. The theme tone is intrinsically related to Russian folk music. The whole work is full of youthful vitality and friendly lyricism in a simple style, and ends with a warm final movement with the characteristics of folk songs and dances. Complete song.
Tchaikovsky also wrote some famous single-chapter works in his instrumental works, such as the fantasy overture "Romeo and Juliet" (1869), "1812 Overture" (1880), " "Italian Capriccio" (1880), etc. "Romeo and Juliet" was written at the suggestion of M.A. Balakirev. It is based on Shakespeare's original work and summarizes the theme of the original work. The "1812 Overture" was composed at the request of Rubinstein for the reconstruction and completion of the Savior's Cathedral in Moscow. The Cathedral of Our Savior was destroyed by Napoleon's invasion in 1812, so it was named "1812 Overture". This is a popular band work that depicts war through music. Most of the themes adopt familiar tunes, such as the hymn "God, save your people", the folk song "At the Gate" and "La Marseillaise", fragments of the Tsarist Russian national anthem "God Save the Tsar", etc., which are respectively expressed Images of both sides of the war. "Italian Capriccio" reflects Tchaikovsky's life experience gained from many trips to Italy, especially the vivid impression evoked by Italian folk songs.
Among Tchaikovsky's few chamber music works, his "String Quartet No. 1" in D major (1871) and "Piano Trio in A minor" (1881-1882) The most famous. Both works demonstrate Tchaikovsky's distinctive national style originality in chamber music. In particular, the second movement "Andante Cantabile" of "String Quartet No. 1", with the theme of the Ukrainian folk song "Vanya Sitting on the Sofa", is even more popular. The great writer Tolstoy was once moved to tears by this piece of music. He said that this work can "reach into the depths of the souls of the people who endure suffering." "Piano Trio in A minor" was composed in memory of N.G. Rubinstein. The whole piece has only two movements, but the second movement can be divided into two parts, but the whole piece still has the structural characteristics of three movements. Tchaikovsky expressed his grief for his deceased friend with deep condolences and affectionate memories of the past.
Tchaikovsky also wrote many beloved treasures in vocal romances. His romances are diverse in style, extensive in content and sincere in emotion. The most prominent ones are those dramatic lyrical romances. In this type of romance, like other works of Tchaikovsky, they profoundly reflect the fierce contradiction between the protagonist's desire for bright happiness and the dark reality. Such as "Forgotten So Quickly" (1870), "At the Lively Ball" (1878), "We Sitting Together" (1893), "Night" (1893) and so on.
Tchaikovsky's creation profoundly reflects the Russian intellectuals' yearning for light and their depressed and depressed feelings about the dark reality under the decadent Tsarist autocratic system in the second half of the 19th century. He is good at capturing the characters' thoughts and feelings in conflicts and conflicts, and deeply reveals the characters' inner experiences. He inherited the achievements of Russian music development since Glinka; he also paid attention to absorbing the experience of the development of Western European music culture and paid attention to learning from folk music. He combined highly professional creative skills with the Russian national music tradition. He made clear and Touching melodies, strong dramatic conflicts and rich national styles are creatively and organically integrated in his works, making valuable contributions to Russian music culture and world music culture.