Tchaikovsky

[karlhenning]

PC-1 Not decent; probably, technically, arguably the most difficult piano concerto ever written, from the fast cadenza octave passages, to the technically demanding passages of the first and last movements; there's also GREAT melodic material, which is why you've admitted to "whistl[ing] the opening theme." I admit the trombone fanfare and the piano's banging of chords in the opening of the PC is very catchy, but you're not thinking about the rest of the PC.

Curiously, a piece which was first performed in Boston.

[Herman]

I suspect the orchestrated version is performed more often than the original sextet. Try getting a sextet together!

[ChamberNut]

Red Alert:

Has anyone heard and own recordings of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41?  We heard a few movements (Our Father and Praise ye the Lord) last night at music appreciation class.

It was breathtakingly gorgeous! 

Performance was by the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir, Valeri Polyansky, on RCA label

[Opus106]

Choral from Tchaikovsky?! I must listen to it. Thanks for letting us know, Ray. I've been discovering new things about Pyotr Illyich's music this week. There are some videos at YouTube I will be listening to listen to in a short while.

[ChamberNut]

Choral from Tchaikovsky?! I must listen to it. Thanks for letting us know, Ray. I've been discovering new things about Pyotr Illyich's music this week. There are some videos at YouTube I will be listening to listen to in a short while.

True!  There is so much more than just the symphonies, concertos and ballets! 

[Wanderer]

Red Alert:

Has anyone heard and own recordings of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41?  We heard a few movements (Our Father and Praise ye the Lord) last night at music appreciation class.

It was breathtakingly gorgeous! 

Performance was by the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir, Valeri Polyansky, on RCA label

A splendid work. Brilliant has recently reissued a very good  version, performed by the National Academic Choir of Ukraine "Dumka". The same performance is contained in an older 2-disc set (the one I own), which is accompanied by Grachaninov's equally captivating Vespers.

[ChamberNut]

Red Alert:

Has anyone heard and own recordings of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41?  We heard a few movements (Our Father and Praise ye the Lord) last night at music appreciation class.

It was breathtakingly gorgeous! 

Performance was by the USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir, Valeri Polyansky, on RCA label

Our music app. teacher also mentioned that if I liked this piece (which I did), to check our Rach(k)maninov(ff)'s as well.

[Brahmsian]

Can anyone recommend a great Tchaikovsky biography?

Merci! 

[Lethevich]

Random question: has anybody tried to "fix" the transition to the coda in the 1812 Overture - and more importantly, has it been recorded? I figure that given the amount of cuts pre-70s conductors tended to inflict on music like this, and often outright re-orchestrations, this might actually be an area that one of them could improve?

[Brahmsian]

Feelings, nothing more than.....feelings!  This somewhat famous line of a pop tune...........I hear this somewhere in the Andante funebre e doloroso ma con moto 3rd movement of Tchaikovsky's 3rd String Quartet in E flat minor. 

[Brahmsian]

Have you fetched in the sextet yet, Ray? Have you, have you?

Done, Karl! 

[Herman]

Can anyone recommend a great Tchaikovsky biography?

Merci! 

Well, there's a new, very good one, just out. Roland Wiley's Tchaikovsky volume in the Masters Musicians is the product of decades of research (Wiley wrote the standard work on Tchaikovsky's Ballets and a biography of Petipa's successor at the Mariinsky theatre, Ivanov), and he dismantles the suicide theory pretty deftly.

http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Master-Musicians-Roland-Wiley/dp/0195368924/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259609242&sr=8-1

The only downside is Wiley does not always write beautiful prose IMO.

[Brian]

Random question: has anybody tried to "fix" the transition to the coda in the 1812 Overture - and more importantly, has it been recorded? I figure that given the amount of cuts pre-70s conductors tended to inflict on music like this, and often outright re-orchestrations, this might actually be an area that one of them could improve?

Not just pre-70s. My Charles Dutoit/OSM recording of the 1812 is completely perfect until the final coda - which is overlaid by a massively fake synthesizer track. No clue what London was thinking. The brass/strings are inaudible from the volume of the synthesizing.

[SonicMan46]

Piano Concertos, Complete - below a post that I put in the listening thread earlier which will shortly be 'buried' - but for those who may be interested in having more than just the first PC of this composer, this re-mastered Bridge release is a strong contender! 

Tchaikovsky, Peter - Piano Concertos w/ Jerome Lowenthal (piano) & Sergiu Comissiona + London SO; recordings from 1987 & 1989 re-mastered on the Bridge label w/ demonstration sonics!  Offered as a 2-CD bargain set packaged in a single-sized jewel box. 

This was a Bruce recommendation (forget which thread?) - the performances are just outstanding w/ the piano up front - I own several recordings of the first PC, but this is my first exposure to the other works; the second movement of PC #2 (Adante non troppo) is like a 'trio concertante' w/ violin and cello parts prominent - beautiful; review by Jerry Dubins reprinted HERE - if you want Pete's 'other' piano orchestral works, this is a package well worth considering -

[jlaurson]

The complete Tchaikovsky symphonies will be recorded by Dmitrij Kitajenko and the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln for Oehms. That's the combo that has provided several members of this forum with excellent Shostakovich and Prokofiev symphonies (Capriccio) and the recording team that is recording Markus Stenz' Mahler cycle with the same orchestra. First release is planned for May of this year. All releases will be multi-channel hybrid SACDs.

[Renfield]

That's great, Jens!

[jlaurson]

That's great, Jens!

Are you mocking me?

[Renfield]

Are you mocking me?

Wouldn't dream of it.

[George]

Lo, the impact of those multi-sized fonts!

[Carolus]

I suspect the orchestrated version is performed more often than the original sextet. Try getting a sextet together!

Leonid Kogan and Elizabetha Gilels Kogan violins; Barshai and Talalian violas and Skushevitsky and Rostropovich cellos.
Absolutely extraordinary!!!