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Hidden treasures - Pyotr Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo theme (1877) - Selected higlights

4,390 views · Published 30 June 2010 · 10:10 · Indexed 22 October 2026

Channel: LindoroRossini · 2010 · Music

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P.S. The audio level has been raised slightly to add clarity to the overall sound.

Painting: "The sea from the heights of Dieppe" by Eugene Delacroix.

History (based on materials from the http://www.allmusic.com/ site): The Variations on a Rococo theme, one of Tchaikovsky's few concerts for cello, was written at the end of 1876 with Wilhelm Fitzhagen, principal cellist at the Moscow Conservatory at the time, in mind. A curious incident occurred during the first few years after the variations' composition. The piece was initially prepared in the form of an arrangement for cello and piano which was sent directly to Fitzhagen, so he could make the cello part idiomatic (indeed, few bars of the cello part are left unchanged in the final edition). The orchestrations were to be done by Tchaikovsky himself. The piece was first performed in this "draft" form at a Moscow concert on the 30th of November, 1877, while the composer was recuperating in Switzerland from the debacle of his one and only marriage earlier that year. A favourable reception (echoed by the enthusiasm of the audience at the Wiesbaden Festival in 1879) quickly led to publication possibilities, and by early 1878 the manuscript was delivered to the composer's principal publisher, Jurgenson, whose work, however, was held up by Fitzenhagen who took it upon himself to edit the work, on the pretext of making further improvements to the cello part, though without consulting the composer. The changes were sanctioned by Tchaikovsky's unwillingness to stop the cellist from readapting his work, and the resulting version was considered to be authentic until the 1956 complete edition of the composer's works partially reinstated the composer's variants.

Music: The variations are still played and recorded in both editions (sometimes even with Tchaikovsky's original cello part), despite the completely different character of the Fitzenhagen version which abandons the 8th variation and rearranges the order of the remaining sections (to 1-2-7-5-6-3-4) into a more easily comprehensible structure with the haunting andante effectively moved to the piece's end. Tchaikovsky's original is less straightforward but it is much more innovative and interesting, steadily developing the material until the peak of the piece is reached on the gracefully magnificent 7th variation. Nonetheless, in either edition, Tchaikovsky's work is musically extremely attractive, as the composer, working with a seemingly uncomplicated main theme, manages to create a stunningly diverse number of enchanting episodes. The gentle theme itself, following an ardent horn introduction, though designated as "Rococo" and possessing a certain Mozartian lightness, was actually written by Tchaikovsky himself and, indeed, does sound rather romantic in character. Five of its eight variations are presented virtually complete in the present upload (some cuts in the cadential sections and transitional material are implemented for the sake of musical balance). We begin with the jumpy allegro which features genuinely humorous interplay between the cello and the orchestra, effectively echoing the main line in a most charming manner; the above-mentioned andante, though appearing quite early in the piece, is actually the most moving variation, transitioning to a beautifully sustained minor cello melody with a wonderfully understated accompaniment of string pizzicatos and weeping oboe phrases (the final rising coda is breathtaking in its simplicity); a gentle moderato which gives the main theme to the flute, while the cello moves through a richly ornamented line; a pensive andante sostenuto which effectively readapts the theme into a romantic "cantabile" for the cello with a handsome string accompaniment and numerous phrases for the winds; finally, we move back a few steps for a well-propelled allegro vivo with a dizzying duet between the cello and the orchestra which reaches thrilling heights. One could not imagine a piece of greater variety, and the andante is easily one of Tchaikovsky's best pieces.

Recording: The Hungaroton 1994 recording features a traditional double bill of Tchaikovsky's variations and Dvorak's Cello concerto, both played with the required finesse by Miklos Perenyi (cello) and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, ably conducted by Ivan Fischer.

Hope you'll enjoy :).

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