Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)

The Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Op. 23, was composed between November 1874 and February 1875 with piano virtuoso Nikolai Rubinstein in mind as soloist. [Maes, 75.] It was revised in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. It is considered perhaps the most popular of Tchaikovsky's works and among the best known of all piano concertos. [Steinberg, 480.]

Instrumentation

The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in F, 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass), timpani, solo piano, and strings.

Structure

The concerto is famous for the dramatic tension between soloist and orchestra. It is markedly symphonic in character and differs considerably from the more musically conservative and outwardly virtuoso type of concerto that was then widely popular in Russia. Nonetheless, the technical demand placed upon the pianist remains considerable. For example, there are several passages with rapid octave movement. Speed and awkward note arrangement create further difficulties. As well, a performer must keep up with the overall monumental nature of the work with a very powerful tone that often dominates over the orchestra.

The concerto follows the traditional form of three movements:

# "Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso – Allegro con spirito" (B flat minor → B flat major)
# "Andantino simplice – Prestissimo" (D flat major)
# "Allegro con fuoco" (B flat minor → B flat major)

The well-known theme of the introductory section to the first movement is based on a melody that Tchaikovsky heard performed by blind beggar-musicians at a market in Kamenka, near Kiev in Ukraine. This, the best-known passage in the entire concerto, was notable for a considerable time after its composition on its apparent formal independence from the movement and the concerto as a whole. This sense of independence seemed to be highlighted by being not in the work's nominal key of B flat minor but in the relative major key of D-flat. Despite its very substantial nature, the theme is only heard twice, and never subsequently reappears in the concerto.

The key to the link between the introduction and the rest of the concerto is that the opening melody contains the core motivic elements for the entire work. This may not seem obvious because of Tchaikovsky's gift for hiding motivic connections behind what can appear to be a moment of melodic inspiration. A close analysis shows that all three movements are subtly linked. The middle section of the second movement is based on a French "chansonette", "Il faut s'amuser, danser et rire." (Translated as: One must have fun, dance and laugh.) A Ukranian "vsnyanka" or greeting to spring is the first theme of the finale, while the second theme is motivically derived from the Russian folk song "Podoydi, podoydy vo Tsar-Gorod." All these melodies are connected by a strong motivic bond. The relationship between them has often been ascribed to chance because they were all well known at the time Tchaikovsky composed the concerto. It seems likely, though, that he used these songs precisely because of their motivic connection and used them where he felt necessary. Selecting folkloristic material, therefore, went hand in hand with planning the large-scale structure of the work. [Maes, 76.]

History

Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to Nikolai Rubinstein, whom he also intended to be its first performer. However, when Tchaikovsky proudly showed the work to Rubinstein and another musical friend Nikolai Hubert at the Moscow Conservatory on Christmas Eve 1874, he was met with bitter disappointment. After they had given it a first play-through, Rubinstein hastily dismissed the concerto, in the composer's words, as "banal, clumsy and incompetently written", as well as "poorly composed and unplayable." He then asked Tchaikovsky to undertake a substantial reworking of it in accordance with his own wishes. The composer was deeply hurt and refused Rubinstein's advice. [Quoted from Tchaikovsky, Modest, "Life and Letters of Tchaikovsky" in Steinberg, 474-475.]

The first performance of the original version took place on October 25, 1875 in Boston, Massachusetts, conducted by Benjamin Johnson Lang. The soloist was Hans von Bülow. Tchaikovsky appreciated Bülow's combination of intellect and passion in his playing, and Bülow was a fervent admirer of Tchaikovsky's music. The premiere was a resounding success. Tchaikovsky rededicated the work to von Bülow, who had described the work as "so original and noble" (although he later dropped the concerto from his repertoire). [Steinberg, 476.]

The Russian premiere took place just one week later in Saint Petersburg, with the Russian pianist Gustav Kross and Czech conductor Eduard Nápravník. In Tchaikovsky's estimation, Kross reduced the work to "an atrocious cacophony" [Alexander Poznansky, "Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man", p. 166] .

The piano soloist in the Moscow premiere, on 3 December 1875, was Sergei Taneyev. Despite his strong reservations about the quality of the work, Nikolai Rubinstein conducted the orchestra, and later played the solo part several times. At that time, Tchaikovsky considered rededicating the work to Taneyev, who had performed it splendidly, but ultimately the dedication went to von Bülow.

Other

* Also arranged for two pianos by Tchaikovsky, December 1874; revised December 1888.
* Tchaikovsky revised it three times, the last being in 1888, which is the version usually now played. One of the most prominent differences between the original and final versions is that in the opening section, the octave chords played by the pianist, over which the orchestra plays the famous theme, were originally written as arpeggios.
*Van Cliburn won the First International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 with this piece, much to the astonishment of people worldwide, as he was an American competing in Moscow at the height of the Cold War.
*Vladimir Horowitz performed this piece as part of a World War II fund-raising concert in 1943, with his father-in-law, the conductor Arturo Toscanini, conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Two separate performances of Horowitz playing the concerto and Toscanini conducting were eventually released on records and CD's - the live 1943 rendition, and an earlier studio recording made in 1941.
* This piece was also further popularized among many Americans when it was used as the theme to Orson Welles' famous "Mercury Theatre" Radio Program. The Concerto came to be associated with Welles throughout his career and was often played when introducing him as a guest on both radio and television. The main theme was also made into a popular song entitled "Tonight We Love", by bandleader Freddy Martin in 1941.
*After the first time it was played in 1874 people erupted into applause and Nikolai Rubinstein changed his opinion on the piece and said it was now decent.

Bibliography

* Maes, Francis, tr. Arnold J. Pomerans and Erica Pomerans, "A History of Russian Music: From "Kamarinskaya "to" Babi Yar (Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of Ca.ilfornia Press, 2002). ISBN 0-520-21815-9.
* Poznansky, Alexander "Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man" (New York: Schirmer Books, 1991). ISBN 0-02-871885-2.
* Steinberg, M. "The Concerto: A Listener's Guide", Oxford (1998)

External links

* [http://www.tchaikovsky.host.sk/work/pc1.htm Tchaikovsky Page]
* http://www.tchaikovsky-research.net/en/Works/Concertos/TH055/index.html

References

External links

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