Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky was the author of some of the
most popular themes in all of classical music. He
founded no school, struck out no new paths or
compositional methods, and sought few innovations in
his works. Yet the power and communicative sweep of his
best music elevates it to classic status, even if it
lacks the formal boldness and harmonic sophistication
heard in the compositions of his contemporaries, Wagner
and Bruckner. It was Tchaikovsky's unique melodic charm
that could, whether ...(+)
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky was the author of some of the
most popular themes in all of classical music. He
founded no school, struck out no new paths or
compositional methods, and sought few innovations in
his works. Yet the power and communicative sweep of his
best music elevates it to classic status, even if it
lacks the formal boldness and harmonic sophistication
heard in the compositions of his contemporaries, Wagner
and Bruckner. It was Tchaikovsky's unique melodic charm
that could, whether in his Piano Concerto No. 1 or in
his ballet The Nutcracker or in his tragic last
symphony, make the music sound familiar on first
hearing.
This odd collection brings together five innocuous
genre pieces with a substantial theme-and-variations
set. The first item, known bilingually as
"Abend-Träumerei" and "Rêverie du Soir," is a slow, G
minor arabesque in 3/4 time, with a lyrical middle
section. Next comes a "Scherzo humoristique" in D
major, an effervescent piece in 3/8 with a more serious
yet improvised-sounding middle section, full of short,
obsessively repeated melody fragments that seem to want
to burst into a folk song. The third piece, "Feuillet
d'Album," is an abbreviated, highly lyrical item simple
enough for student pianists; it's in standard ABA form,
but the B section is barely discernible from the rest.
Fourth is a Nocturne marked Andante sentimentale, a
haunting, hesitant soliloquy interrupted by a more
flowing midsection. A miniature cadenza leads to a
reprise of the first section, now given a much more
ornate treatment. Next is a B flat Capriccioso in 2/4
time, which Tchaikovsky originally thought to work into
a symphony. The main material is quite poignant, but
contrast arrives with the middle section, a jaunty
Allegro vivacissimo in D minor.
The sixth piece consists of a modest, expressive 16-bar
theme in 3/4 time, followed by 12 variations and a
coda. The first variation nudges the theme forward only
slightly. The second flows more smoothly under triplets
in the right hand. Variation 3 brings outright
brilliance to the proceedings, intensified with the
bravura staccato chords in Variation 4. The fifth
variation is an amorous Andante, but the sixth brings
back a staccato snap. The seventh could be the chordal
outline of a hymn, while the eighth is an unexpectedly
exultant waltz in D minor. Variation 9 turns the theme
into a mazurka, complete with miniature cadenza.
Variation 10 brings back the theme pretty much intact
under florid passagework. The next variation is an
exuberant Allegro brillante in the style of Schumann.
Variation 12 features a tonic pedal-point in the bass
all the way through (looking ahead to a technique
Tchaikovsky would employ in a movement of his "Polish"
Symphony). The whole thing ends with a virtuosic presto
coda, driving toward a final crowd-pleasing
crescendo.
Although originally created for Solo Piano, I created
this Interpretation of the "Scherzo Humoristique" from
"Six Pieces" (Op. 19 No. 2) for Marimba & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION