Tchaikovsky - 6 SYMPHONIES

CD1

Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.1 in G minor, Op. 13, is also known as Winter Daydreams. The composer's brother Modest claimed this work cost Tchaikovsky more labor and suffering than any of his other works. Nevertheless, Tchaikovsky maintained a fondness for this work. He admitted to friend several years after writing it, "For all its glaring deficiencies, I have a soft spot for it[2]." He wrote Nadezhda von Meck in 1883 that "although it is in many ways very immature, yet fundamentally it has more substance and is better than any of my other more mature works."

Tchaikovsky's Fourth Suite has the subtitle Mozartiana, as all of its movements are based on music by Mozart, who was also Tchaikovsky's favorite composer. It's a very sweet, sensitively written piece that proves yet again that there's so much more to this composer than heart-on-sleeve emotional hysteria.


Tracklist:

01. Symphony No 1 in G minor Winter Daydreams - Allegro Tranquillo
02. Symphony No 1 in G minor Winter Daydreams - Dusteres Land - Adagio cantabile ma non troppo
03. Symphony No 1 in G minor Winter Daydreams - Scherzo
04. Symphony No 1 in G minor Winter Daydreams - Finale
05. Suite No 4 in G major Op 61 Mozartiana Suite - Gigue - Sueddeutsche Philharmonieorchester, Hans Zanotelli
06. Suite No 4 in G major Op 61 Mozartiana Suite - Allegro
07. Suite No 4 in G major Op 61 Mozartiana Suite - Menuet
08. Suite No 4 in G major Op 61 Mozartiana Suite - Moderato
09. Suite No 4 in G major Op 61 Mozartiana Suite - Preghiera
10. Suite No 4 in G major Op 61 Mozartiana Suite - Andante non tanto
11. Suite No 4 in G major Op 61 Mozartiana Suite - Theme et Variations - Allegro giusto




CD2

The Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17, of Tchaikovsky, known as the Little Russian, was composed in 1872. One of Tchaikovsky's very joyous compositions, it was successful upon its premiere and won the favor of "The Five," led by Mili Balakirev. Nevertheless, Tchaikovsky revised this work heavily eight years later, almost totally rewriting the first movement and making many changes in the other three. The nickname Little Russian comes from Nikolay Kashkin, a well-known Tchaikovsky musical critic of Moscow. The nickname was also that of Ukraine, which Kashkin also found suitable since the piece includes several Ukrainian-like folk tunes.

Symphony number 3 in D major, op. 29, written in 1875, is the only of the six Tchaikovsky symphonies in a major key, and like most of the others carries a nickname, the "Polish" symphony. This name is in reference only to the recurring Polish dance rhythms prominent in the symphony's final movement, and has zero pertinence whatsoever to the rest of the symphony's musical material. The symphony has five movements, against the conventions of classical symphonies, which typically have four.


Tracklist:

01. Symphony No. 2 in C minor Op. 17 Little Russian - Symphony No 2. in C minor Op. 17 Little Russian
02. Symphony No. 2 in C minor Op. 17 Little Russian - Andantino marciale, quasi moderato
03. Symphony No. 2 in C minor Op. 17 Little Russian - Scherzo Allegro molto vivace
04. Symphony No. 2 in C minor Op. 17 Little Russian - Finale Moderato assai, Allegro vivo
05. Symphony No. 3 in D major Op. 29 Polish - Introduzione e Allegro Moderato assai, Allegro brillante
06. Symphony No. 3 in D major Op. 29 Polish - AIla Tedesca, Allegro moderato e semplice
07. Symphony No. 3 in D major Op. 29 Polish - Andante elegiaco
08. Symphony No. 3 in D major Op. 29 Polish - Scherzo Allegro vivo
09. Symphony No. 3 in D major Op. 29 Polish - Finale Allegro con fuoco




CD3

Festival Overture "The Year 1812" in E flat major, Op. 49 is an orchestral overture by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, commemorating the unsuccessful French invasion into Russia, and the subsequent withdrawal that devastated Napoleon's Grande Armée, an event that marked 1812 as the major turning point of the Napoleonic Wars. The work is best known for the sequence of cannon fire, which is sometimes performed, especially at outside festivals, using one or more real cannons. When performed indoors, orchestras may use computer generated cannon sounds or huge barrel drums. Although the composition has no historical connection with the US-UK War of 1812, in the United States it is often performed alongside other patriotic music; it is a staple at Fourth of July celebrations. This work is one of less than ten works that use guns and cannons in their score, and is one of the few that call for carillons.
The Overture debuted in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on August 20, 1882, a church that was destroyed by Stalin in the 1930s.

Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, was written 1877 – 1878. During the composition of the symphony, Tchaikovsky wrote to his patron, Madame Nadezhda von Meck, that he wanted "very much" to dedicate it to her, and that he would write on it "Dedicated to My Best Friend".
The symphony's first performance was at a Russian Musical Society concert in St. Petersburg on February 10 (Old Style)/February 22 (New Style) 1878, with Nikolai Rubinstein as conductor.
Assertions to the effect that "the first movement represents Fate" are oversimplifications: according to a letter the composer wrote to Madame von Meck in 1878, it is actually the fanfare first heard at the opening ("the kernel, the quintessence, the chief thought of the whole symphony") that stands for "Fate", with this being "the fatal power which prevents one from attaining the goal of happiness ... There is nothing to be done but to submit to it and lament in vain". As the composer explained it, the programme of the first movement is—"roughly"—that "all life is an unbroken alternation of hard reality with swiftly passing dreams and visions of happiness ...". He went on: "No haven exists ... Drift upon that sea until it engulfs and submerges you in its depths".

The Capriccio Italien, op. 45 is a fantasy for orchestra composed between January and May of 1880 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
The piece was inspired by a trip Tchaikovsky took to Rome, during which he saw the Carnival in full swing, and is reminiscent of Italian folk music and street songs. As these elements are treated rather freely initially he intended this piece to be called Italian Fantasy. Tchaikovsky even uses as the introduction a bugle call that he overheard from his hotel played by Italian cavalry regiment. Another source of inspiration for this piece are Mikhail Glinka's Spanish Pieces.
The premiere was held in Moscow on December 18 of the same year; the orchestra was led by Nikolai Rubinstein. Although Tchaikovsky wrote to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck that the work would be successful (the piece was praised by most critics) he admitted that it was not very well composed.
Dedicated to Karl Davidov, the Capriccio was later arranged by the composer for 4-hand piano. A typical performance lasts for around 15 minutes.


Tracklist:

01. OVERTURE 1812 OP.49
02. SYMPONY NO.4 IN F MINOR OP.36 [Andante sostenuto,Moderato con anima]
03. SYMPONY NO.4 IN F MINOR OP.36 [Andanion in mode di cancone]
04. SYMPONY NO.4 IN F MINOR OP.36 [Scherzo Pizzicato ostinato]
05. SYMPONY NO.4 IN F MINOR OP.36 [Finale Allegro con fuoco]
06. CAPRICCIO ITALIEN OP.45




CD4

The Symphony No. 5 in E minor (Op. 64) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was composed between May and August 1888. It was first performed, under Tchaikovsky's own baton, in St Petersburg on November 6, 1888.
Similar to the Symphony No. 4, the piece is in cyclic form, using a "motto" theme; unlike the Fourth, however, the theme occurs in each movement (similar to the Manfred Symphony, which Tchaikovsky had finished less than two years before). The "motto" theme itself is derived from a passage in Glinka's opera A Life for the Tsar—significantly, a passage using the words "turn not into sorrow". The motto theme has a funereal character in the first movement, but gradually transforms into a triumphant march, which dominates the final movement.
Some critics, including Tchaikovsky himself, have considered it to be an insincere and even crude ending, but the symphony has gone on to become one of the composer's most popular works. The second movement, in particular, is considered to be classic Tchaikovsky: well crafted, colorfully orchestrated, and with a memorable melody for solo horn. For some reason, possibly the very clear musical exposition of the idea of "ultimate victory through strife", the Fifth was very popular during World War II, with many new recordings of the work, and many symphonic performances during those years. One of the most notable performances was by the Leningrad Radio Symphony Orchestra during the Siege of Leningrad. City leaders had ordered the orchestra to continue its performances to keep the spirits high in the city. On the night of October 20, 1941 they played Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 at the city's Philharmonic Hall and it was broadcast live to London. As the second movement began bombs started to fall nearby. The orchestra continued to play till the final note. Since the war it remains very popular, but has been somewhat eclipsed in popularity by the Fourth and Sixth Symphonies.

Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, premiered in 1880, remains today one of the late Romantic era's most definitive compositions. In his score, Tchaikovsky supposedly wrote, "The larger the string orchestra, the better will the composer's desires be fulfilled."


Tracklist:

01. SYMPHONY NO.5 IN E MINOR OP.64 [Andante-Allegro con anima]
02. SYMPHONY NO.5 IN E MINOR OP.64 [Andante cantabile]
03. SYMPHONY NO.5 IN E MINOR OP.64 [Valse-Allegro moderato]
04. SYMPHONY NO.5 IN E MINOR OP.64 [Finale-Andante maestoso-Allegro vivace]
05. SERENADE FOR STRING ORCHESTRA IN C MAJOR OP.48[Pezzo in formal di sonatina]
06. SERENADE FOR STRING ORCHESTRA IN C MAJOR OP.48[Valse(Moderato Tempo di Valse)]
07. SERENADE FOR STRING ORCHESTRA IN C MAJOR OP.48[Elegie(Larghetto elegiaco)]
08. SERENADE FOR STRING ORCHESTRA IN C MAJOR OP.48[Finale Tema Russo]




CD5

The Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Pathétique, Op. 74 is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's final symphony. It was premiered nine days before his death in 1893. Tchaikovsky said of it, "Without exaggeration, I have put my whole soul into this work.

Romeo and Juliette is a musical work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, subtitled Overture-Fantasy. Like other composers such as Berlioz and Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky was deeply inspired by Shakespeare and by Shakespeare's play of the same name.
Although styled a 'Overture-Fantasy' by the composer, the overall design is a symphonic poem in sonata-form with an introduction and an epilogue. The work is based on three main strands of the Shakespeare story. The first strand, following Balakirev’s suggestion, is the introduction representing the saintly Friar Laurence. Here there is a flavour of Russian Orthodoxy, but also a foreboding of doom from the lower strings. Eventually a single chord passed back and forth between strings and woodwinds grows into the second strand, the agitated theme of the warring Capulets and Montagues, including a reference to the sword fight. The forceful irregular rhythms of the street music point ahead to Stravinsky and beyond. The action suddenly slows, the key dropping from B-minor to D-flat (as suggested by Balakirev) and we hear the opening bars of the love theme, the third strand, passionate and yearning in character but always with an underlying current of anxiety. The strings enter with a lush, hovering melody over which the flute and oboe eventually soar with the love theme once again, signalling the development section.


Tracklist:

01. Symphony No 6 in B minor Op 74 Pathetique - Adagio-Allegro Non Troppo
02. Symphony No 6 in B minor Op 74 Pathetique - Allegro con grazia
03. Symphony No 6 in B minor Op 74 Pathetique - Allegro molto vivace
04. Symphony No 6 in B minor Op 74 Pathetique - Finale, Adagio lamentoso, Andante
05. Romeu & Juliet, Overture Fantasia - New Philharmonia Orchestra London, Laurence Siegel