#pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky — Public Fediverse posts

https://www.europesays.com/uk/1249450/ Review: Eugene Onegin at Leeds Grand Theatre #AlexanderPushkin #Britain #CasparSingh #ClairePascoe #DeanRobinson #ElizabethGadsby #England #EugeneOnegin #FlorianPanzieri #GarryWalker #GreatBritain #HannahMason #JingwenCai #JohnBrancy #JoshuaBloom #KamilBień #Leeds #LeedsGrandTheatre #LeslieTravers #MalcolmRippeth #opera #OperaNorthLimited #PatrickNolan #PaulGibson #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #SeanSable #SimonGrange #UK #UnitedKingdom #VerityWingate

Bacewicz, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov at the National Concert Hall

Unfortunately I had to miss the opening concert of the 2026/7 season by National Symphony Orchestra Ireland at the National Concert Hall, especially since it was Mahler’s epic Resurrection Symphony. That was three weeks ago and last night was the first time I managed to make it to a concert at the National Concert Hall this season.

Earlier this week I was thinking that, although I’ve been walking to and from the NCH on Fridays quite frequently since I moved to Ireland almost 9 years ago, I’ve managed to avoid getting rained on to a significant extent. Yesterday evening my luck ran out and it was bucketing down. Fortunately I took an umbrella and wore an raincoat so I wasn’t too drenched when I arrived. The cloakroom at the NCH is free, by the way.

Having arrived and divested myself of coat and brolly, I commenced the usual ritual of buying a programme and noticed the format had changed. The new style is much shorter (and cheaper, at just €2) and has QR codes linking to much of the material that would previously have been in the programme. If you’re interested you can follow the links above. I like having a printed copy primarily as a souvenir, and the new format serves that purpose well.

The National Orchestra of Ireland was conducted last night by John Wilson. The first item on the menu last night was a short piece by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz called, simply, Overture. This was composed in the depths of the Second World War, but not officially premiered until 1945. Given the time of its composition it is surprisingly optimistic in tone, with its defiant “V for Victory” motif and evocations of pre-war peace.

Next up was one of the most familiar concert pieces of the entire classical repertoire, the  Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Certainly the spectacular opening, with its fanfare-like introduction followed by a dramatic string theme supported by huge chords from the piano, must be one of the best-known introductions to a classical work. It’s curious though that the theme that gives it such an imposing start is not heard anywhere else in the concerto, though what follows is hugely absorbing and entertaining, if a bit theatrical for some tastes. It’s not too theatrical for me, I hasten to add. I love it.

The soloist for the performance was Bulgarian-born Emanuil Ivanov who hit a wrong note early on but thereafter played very well. I thought he really only caught fire in the last movement with its tumultuous climax. The Dublin audience is always generous with its applause and treated the soloist and orchestra to a standing ovation af the end of the performance.

After the wine break we returned to a piece that I’ve never heard in a live concert before, the Symphony No. 3 in A minor by Sergei Rachmaninov. This was written about 30 years after his more famous Second Symphony and is quite different, though still romantic, style. It is in three movements, beginning slowly (Lento) with a statement of a simple theme, but then speeds up (Allegro moderato, then Allegro) as the theme reappears in different guises. The second movement does much the same thing, initially with violin and flute to the fore before the rest of the orchestra joins in, including some of Rachmaninov’s trademark romantic string passages. The final movement starts and ends Allegro Vivace, with several changes of gear in between, but although it was exciting in patches I found it a bit long-winded. My summary would be that I’m glad to have had the opportunity to hear Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 3, but I don’t think it’s as compelling as his Symphony No. 2.

I usually choose my seat for these concerts to make it easy to get to the bar for the interval, but there was a bonus yesterday. Because of the rain earlier in the evening many more people than usual had checked in coats and umbrellas. When the concert was over I was very quick to get to the cloakroom to extract my things while an enormous queue was growing. It wasn’t raining on the way home.

And now here’s Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto performing Russian romantic era composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1878 post marriage breakdown piece “Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35” at the 2016 Proms (https://youtu.be/fvXq7URwYds?is=JbbXHVLeHY4oPLim)
#SymSat #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky

"Once Upon a Dream" is a song written for the 1959 #animated #musical #fantasyFilm #SleepingBeauty produced by #WaltDisney. Its lyrics were written by #JackLawrence and #SammyFain while the music is adapted by #GeorgeBruns. The song's melody is based on the "Grande valse villageoise" (nicknamed "The Garland Waltz"), from the 1890 ballet #TheSleepingBeauty by #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky. "Once Upon a Dream" serves as the film's main theme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc1-8hqbVY4

On 20 Aug 1882: #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuts in Moscow.

Bread and Circuses

Rojie asks:

What’s that one song that you keep going back to when you’re in a funk?

That’s tough to say. I’m in a funk most every day and I listen to a lot of music so if there were an official list it might be pretty long. I suppose narrowing the list down might depend on what shade of funk I’m in.

What puts a person in a funk? Thinking about the reported 10+ million taxpayer dollars to pay for police and security and crowd control for the UFC Freedom 250 today could do it. Looking at the heat out there I feel sorry for the fighters. I suppose if I’d around 1,500(?) years ago I would have also felt sorry for gladiators in the Colosseum.

Here’s a funkbuster.

War and patriotism, they do seem to be a frequent source of some pretty good music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0POalcAAaPQ

On 7 May 1840: #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky, Russian #composer of the late-Romantic period (1812 Overture; The Nutcracker; Swan Lake), born in Votkinsk, Russia (d. 1893).
#HappyBirthday #RIP 🕊️

135 years ago today, Music Hall (now Carnegie Hall) opens in New York City, with #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky as guest conductor of the New York Music Society Orchestra.

150 years ago today, #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky completes his ballet "Swan Lake".

https://www.europesays.com/africa/171922/ Nigeria & Russia Rekindle Cultural Ties with Classical Conce #ClassicalMusic #Concert #CulturalExchange #Diplomacy #lagos #LagosEvents #MoscowStateTchaikovskyConservatory #MusicalSocietyOfNigeria #MUSON #Nigeria #NigeriaRussiaRelations #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #Russia #RussianEmbassy #SergeiRachmaninoff

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on BBC #Radio3's #Breakfast Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra & Neville Marriner: 🎵 Suite no.2 in C major Op.53 (Scherzo Burlesque) #BBCRadio3 #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #StuttgartRadioSymphonyOrchestra #NevilleMarriner

#OnThisDay in 1892, #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" premieres in Saint Petersburg, Russia, now the world's most performed ballet; his final opera "Isolanta" also premieres.

#OnThisDay in 1893, #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky, Russian #composer of the late-Romantic period (1812 Overture; The Nutcracker; Swan Lake), died of suspected #cholera at 53.
#RIP ✟

#OnThisDay in 1893, #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky conducts the first performance of his Symphony No. 6 in B minor, "Pathetique," in St. Petersburg, Russia, 9 days before his death.

Clyne, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich at the National Concert Hall

It had been over a month since my last visit to the National Concert Hall in Dublin so I was happy to be able to attend this week’s Friday night concert last night. It was great to see that the venue was very full too. I think that was at least partly down to the fact that one of the pieces featured Irish violinist Mairéad Hickey who has a sizeable local following. Conductor for the evening with National Symphony Orchestra Ireland was Anna Rakitina (who was born in Russia).

The concert began with a short piece by Anna Clyne called Restless Oceans. This is an energetic and an excellent way to get the orchestra revved up for the rest of the evening. I’d never heard this work before and I think it must be the first time I’ve seen a performance in which the string section sang or hummed a wordless accompaniment in one part and, in another, the whole orchestra provided extra percussion by stamping their feet.

After that zesty appetiser, Mairéad Hickey appeared on stage, resplendent in a green dress, to perform the first course proper, the Violin Concerto by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. This is a familiar work but it was ravishingly played by Mairéad Hickey, who seem to revel in the virtuosic elements of this work, as well as bringing out the lyricism in the more romantic passages. The only things I don’t like about this composition are the gratuitously showy cadenzas which go on far too long, in my opinion. The audience clearly loved the performance, though, as did I, and we were treated to an encore in the form of some traditional Irish fiddle playing which was lovely.

After the wine break, we had the main dish for the evening, the Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich. This is a very famous work and one of the higlights of the entire symphonic repertoire. It is also perhaps the most accessible of all the Shostakovich symphonies. It was an immediate success with Soviet critics and public alike when it was first performed in 1937, and though it marked Shostakovich’s return to favour with the authorities after his denunciation by Stalin, this work has the composer’s very characteristic sense of things not being quite as they seem on the surface. Indeed, in this and many other of his compositions, seems to manage to say one thing at the same time as saying the exact opposite of that thing; nowadays this might be called `constructive ambiguity’. This is especially true in the finale, in which the sense of triumph it ostensibly portrays seems rather forced, so it approaches a parody of itself. This tension between possible interpretations gives the piece a palpable sense of danger.

Overall the Fifth Symphony is a sombre work, the dark undertone established right at the start with an imposing theme on the cellos and double basses, but it has passages of great beauty too, especially in the slow third movement. Like all great symphonies – and this is one of the greatest – it takes you on a journey full of of excitement and interest. It was a compelling performance by the NSOI, with outstanding playing by the whole orchestra, but especially the woodwinds.The 45 minutes or so of this performance seemed to fly by. It’s ending ending was greeted with rapturous applause and a standing ovation from many in the audience.

It’s interesting to consider that only 60 years had elapsed between the composition of these pieces by Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, but what different musical worlds they represent!

#AnnaClyne #AnnaRikitina #DmitriShostakovich #MairéadHickey #NationalSymphonyOrchestraIreland #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #RestlessOceans #ShostakovichSymphonyNo5 #TchaikovskyViolinConcerto

Tchaikovsky – 6a Sinfonia Patetica

La Sesta sinfonia di Tchaikovsky, la Patetica, fu la sua ultima sinfonia. Il compositore morì solo nove giorni dopo aver diretto la prima esecuzione nel 1893. Alcuni vedono in questa musica un presagio alla sua stessa morte. Altri pensano che la sinfonia nasconda un programma segreto che Tchaikovsky non rivelò mai a nessuno.

Pathos

Uno dei brani più carichi di emotività nella storia della musica, l’opera si intitola “Patetica” nel senso di “appassionato” o “emotivo”, non “che suscita pietà”. Il titolo “Patetica” deriva dal greco “pathos”, che può essere tradotto con “profonda emozione e sofferenza”.

L’intensità emotiva è alle stelle. Tchaikovsky riversa sentimenti puri in questo pezzo: passione disperata, profonda depressione e un senso di addio. Per questo motivo lo ha definito il componimento “più sincero” che abbia mai scritto.

La sinfonia è costellata di marcati contrasti emotivi. Un momento il carattere è morbido e dolce, il successivo esplode di rabbia e disperazione. Un susseguirsi di emozioni profondamente personali, ed è per questo che colpisce, così forte, ancora oggi.

La musica

Il primo movimento inizia con un solitario fagotto che suona una melodia triste e sospirante, che poi si sviluppa in un tema principale straziante e in una tempesta di emozioni.

Il secondo movimento è in tempo 5/4, molto insolito per l’epoca. Può essere considerato un valzer che continua a inciampare su se stesso.

Il terzo movimento sembra essere il finale (è una marcia imponente, quasi vittoriosa), il che rende l’effettivo finale, inusitatamente lento, ancora più sorprendente per gli ascoltatori. È come se Tchaikovsky stesse giocando con le aspettative del suo pubblico.

Il finale infrange completamente le regole. Invece di terminare con un carattere trionfante come la maggior parte delle sinfonie, Tchaikovsky fa qualcosa di radicalmente diverso. Inserisce un movimento finale lento, che svanisce in un silenzio straziante. Nessun’altro all’epoca lo avrebbe mai fatto! Le sinfonie da sempre dovevano concludersi con un botto, non con un sussurro.

Il mistero nascosto nella sinfonia

La morte improvvisa di Tchaikovsky rimane un mistero. Come causa ufficiale è riportato il colera, ma alcuni credono che in realtà si sia tolto la vita. Alcuni vedono persino la sinfonia come un messaggio di addio codificato, con l’ultimo movimento che rappresenta la sua resa finale. All’epoca, essere apertamente gay in Russia era impossibile, e alcune teorici suggeriscono che, a causa di questo, lui fosse sotto forte pressione.

Il programma segreto

La sesta sinfonia non è una musica a programma, almeno non in modo ufficiale. Alcuni storici pensano che Tchaikovsky abbia scritto un programma per questo pezzo, ma lo abbia tenuto segreto e nessuno lo ha potuto mai vederlo. Il programma segreto della sinfonia riguarderebbe l’amore tra uomini: la ricerca di esso, dall’inizio del primo movimento; il trovarlo, nel tema romantico dell’andante (misura 89); e gli attacchi di un mondo ostile, nel passaggio agitato dell’allegro vivo che segue (misura 161); e la fuga da tutto ciò, nel ritorno al tema dell’amore (andante come prima, misura 305). Nell’ultimo movimento, un’elegia per un amante defunto.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/SVnF3x44rvU

#6thSypmhony #classical #orchestra #pathetique #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #symphony #Tchaikovsky

“Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74”AKA “The Passionate Symphony” AKA “The Pathétique Symphony” (https://tinyurl.com/ycv8mfkz) was Tchaikovsky’s final composition before he passed away in 1893 under mysterious circumstances (debated bwteen Cholera or suicide) It’s also debated who this piece is dedicated to: a male lover from his youth or a family member. You can follow along with with a free score available here (https://tinyurl.com/yc6d5zrk)
#BaroqueSun #PrideMonth #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840 - November 6, 1893)🇷🇺 was a Russian pianist and Romantic era composer (*dodges rotten fruit*). Similar to Frederick the Great, Tchaikovsky was closeted during his lifetime and engaged in an unhappy marriage of convenience to a cishet woman, in order to keep his Queerness hidden. Privately, he talked openly with his brother, who was also gay, about his romantic life.
#BaroqueSun #PrideMonth #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #Tchaïkovsky

Joe Lee // #JoeLee //

Waiting for Swan Lake
[single, 2023]

//via // #JoeLee //

#brandunbrand #music #bandcamp #JoeLee #WaitingForSwanLake #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #Tchaikovsky

link bandcamp: https://joeleebristol.bandcamp.com/track/techno-swan-lake

Tchaikovsky – 6th Symphony Pathetique

Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, the Pathétique, was his last symphony. The composer died just nine days after conducting its premiere in 1893. Some believe the music hints at his own death. Others think the symphony hides a secret programme Tchaikovsky had never disclosed.

Pathos

One of the most emotional pieces in music history, the work was entitled “The Passionate Symphony”, that means “passionate” or “emotional”, not “arousing pity”. The title “Pathetique” comes from the Greek “pathos”, meaning “deep emotion and suffering”. 

The emotional intensity is off the charts. Tchaikovsky pours raw feelings into this piece: desperate passion, deep depression, and a sense of farewell. For this reason he called it the “most sincere thing” he ever wrote.

The piece is filled with extreme emotional contrasts. One moment it’s soft and sweet, the next it’s exploding with rage and despair. It feels deeply personal, which is why it hits so hard, still today.

The music

The first movement starts with a lonely bassoon playing a sad, sighing melody. Then it builds into a heartbreaking main theme in a storm of emotions.

The second movement is in 5/4 time, which was very unusual back then. You can consider it a waltz that keeps tripping over itself.

The third movement feels like it’s the finale (it’s a powerful, almost victorious march), which makes the actual slow finale even more shocking to listeners. It’s like Tchaikovsky is playing with our expectations.

The finale completely breaks the rules. Instead of ending with a triumphant finale like most symphonies, Tchaikovsky does something radical. He puts a slow, dying-away final movement that fades into a heartbreaking silence. Nobody was doing this at the time! Symphonies were supposed to end with a bang, not a whisper.

The mystery behind the symphony

Tchaikovsky’s sudden death remains a mystery. The official cause was cholera, but some believe he took his own life. Some even see the symphony as a coded farewell message, with the last movement representing his final surrender. At the time, being openly gay in Russia was impossible, and some theories suggest he was under pressure because of it.  

The secret programme

The 6th symphony is not a program music, at least not in a official way. Some historian think that Tchaikovsky wrote a programme for this piece, but kept it secret and no one could ever see it. The secret programme of the symphony is about love between men: the search for it, from the beginning of the first movement; finding it, in the romantic andante theme (measure 89); and the attacks of a hostile world on it, in the agitated allegro vivo passage that follows (measure 161); and escape from that, in the return to the love theme (andante come prima, measure 305). The last movement, Karlinsky was told, is an elegy for a dead lover.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/SVnF3x44rvU

#6thSypmhony #classical #orchestra #pathetique #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #symphony #Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

https://wgom.org/2025/05/31/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky-dance-of-the-sugar-plum-fairy/

#ClassicalMusic
#DudokQuartetAmsterdam
#PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky
vol.2
https://open.spotify.com/album/1WSJ6teBaFnsghr0nR4Nb5?si=TjcUhR7uT4SlfaSsykpGBg

Ring, Dvořák and Tchaikovsky at the National Concert Hall

After a gap of a few weeks due to other commitments, last night I went to the National Concert Hall in Dublin to see and hear another programme of music performed by the National Symphony Orchestra. Unusually for these Friday evening concerts by the NSO, it wasn’t broadcast live or even, judging by the absence of microphones on and over the stage, recorded. I suppose that might have been for some contractual reason.

Tyhe conductor for this performance was Patrik Rinborg, from Sweden. The first thing that struck me about him was that he is very tall – his was a towering presence on the podium. Looking through my back catalogue I find I attended a performance of the Dvořák Requiem conducted by him back in January 2020, not long before the pandemic struck.

The first piece, Everything was asleep as if the universe was a vast mistake by Judith Ring, received its performance in January 2023. The title is from a translation of a quite by Fernando Pessoa. I found this piece quite interesting, especially the changes of colour and energy, but spoilt a little for me by the repeated short sliding phrases coming from the trombones, which I thought sounded rather lavatorial and therefore jarring in the context of the work. Anyway, Judith Ring was in the audience last night and came up on stage at the end of the performance to great applause.

The second work was a perennial favouite in the concert hall, the Cello Concerto in B minor by Antonín Dvořák. I think most people, if asked to name half-a-dozen great works for cello and orchestra would put this one on their list. Last night’s soloist was Camille Thomas, resplendent in a glamorous purple frock, who played beautifully. Her body language was interesting even when she wasn’t playing, sometimes leaning back with her arms by her sides as if transported by the music, and sometimes turning around to look at the orchestra to encourage them. She got a well-deserved ovation at the end, and did a solo encore in the form of a piece called Song of the Birds by Pablo Casals.

After the wine break we returned for Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In advance of the concert I had this muddled up with the Manfred Symphony, which I have heard live before. That was indeed the fifth symphony that Tchaikoksky composed, but is not counted among the numbered symphonies. I hadn’t previously heard a full performance of the Symphony No. 5 we heard last night, so I came to it relatively fresh. Things to note about it are distinct shifts in tonality through the four movements, and a single motif repeated throughout in different forms. It did make me think of the Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad” by Shostakovich who seems to have borrowed the idea for the “invasion” theme of the first movement.

I enjoyed the performance a lot – it was played with much vigour and nuance by the NSO – but at a first hearing I’m not a huge fan of the piece. It’s a bit less than 50 minutes long and by the end I was very bored with the motif. I wasn’t as uplifted by the final movement, where it reaches resolution in E Major, as I think I was supposed to feel as I thought it very brash and unsubtle.

Anyway the audience responded with generous applause at the end of this concert, which was quite a long one (partly because of the encore). For one thing that meant I had much less time to wait for my train back to Maynooth than usual.

#AntoninDvorak #CelloConcertoInBMinor #EverythingWasAsleepAsIfTheUniverseWasAVastMistake #JudithRing #PatrikRingborg #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #TchaikovskySymphonyNo5

Tchaikovsky - String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 (1871)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xDYRLQEgLfk&si=LU0vyYWQCJHMDYF6
#ClassicalMusic
#EmersonQuartet
#PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky

Daniel Barenboim & West-Eastern Divan Live in Geneva: Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Verdi | Full Concert
https://youtu.be/HZ761vKbpP8
@classicalmusic
#WestEasternDivanOrchestra
#DanielBarenboim
#LudwigVanBeethoven
#PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky
#JeanSibelius
#GiuseppeVerdi

Beautiful music for my brain!

https://open.spotify.com/track/1TQ2UYCN7nhfj3cfcFC76V?si=IAqPKXUDSrun9jcyZXIzpA

#MusicforDepression #PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky #BerlinerPhilharmoniker #depression #anxiety #MstislavRostropovich