Letter 241
|
Russian text (original)
|
|
English translation
Copyright © 2010 by Luis Sundkvist |
| |
|
|
|
Москва. 8 октября
1871 г.
|
|
Moscow. 8 October 1871
|
|
Милый друг!
|
|
Dear friend!
|
| Надеюсь, что Юргенсон (Осип Иванович)
давно уже передал Вам мою партитуру с партиями и клавираусцугом. Последний
сделан кое-как, но я полагаю, что для сопровождения хора на спевках достаточен.
Очень рад буду, если хор
этот у Вас пойдёт; если встретите затруднение в хоре мальчиков,
то не найдёте ли возможным заменить их двумя солистками? Я, со своей стороны,
не встречаю в том препятствия. Очень жалею, что «Ромео» пойдёт
не у Вас; я убеждён, что
Направник многое переврёт. Нельзя ли, чтобы Вы или Корсаков на репетиции
указали ему темпо, которое я, к сожалению, не метрономизировал? Я бы Вам
был за то бесконечно благодарен |
|
I hope that Jurgenson (Osip Ivanovich)
has long since handed to you my score, together with the parts and the
piano reduction [1].
The latter was made rather badly, but I think that it will suffice for
accompanying the chorus during rehearsals. I will be very glad if this chorus is performed
under your auspices. If the boys' choir presents a difficulty for
you, would you not be able to replace it with two female soloists? I for
my part would not have any problem with that. I am very sorry that Romeo
isn't going to be performed by you—I am convinced that Nápravník will mess up
a lot of things [2].
Would it not be possible for you or Korsakov to indicate
to him, at a rehearsal, its tempo for which I unfortunately failed to
give metronomic markings? I would be infinitely grateful to you if you
were able to do this |
| Обнимаю Вас от души |
|
I embrace you heartily |
| . П. Чайковский |
|
. P. Tchaikovsky |
| Торопите Бородина кончить его
превосходную симфонию, а Кюи
при случае поклонитесь и поблагодарите за тёплый отзыв |
|
Do press Borodin to finish his
magnificent symphony
[3], and when the opportunity arises give Cui my regards and thank him
on my behalf for his warm review [4]. |
Notes:
- The score in question is of the Chorus of Flowers and Insects,
which Balakirev wanted to
include in one of the Free Music Schools concerts that season. The concert
at which it was performed under the baton of Balakirev would take place
in Saint Petersburg on
18/30 December 1871 [back]
- In his letter to Tchaikovsky of 29 September/11
October 1871, Balakirev
explained that the Russian Musical Society was keen to perform the overture-fantasia Romeo and Juliet,
and that he did not want to deprive the Society of the opportunity to showcase
this work by reserving the first performance in Saint Petersburg for the
Free Music School. The first performance of the Romeo and Juliet
overture (2nd version) in Saint
Petersburg duly took place at an RMS concert conducted by Eduard Nápravník on 5/17
February 1872. Tchaikovsky's negative view of Nápravník's conducting
abilities was one he retained throughout the 1870s. He would later revise
his opinion significantly — note based on information provided by Aleksandra
Orlova in:
Милий Алексеевич Балакирев. Воспоминания и письма (1962), p. 197 [back]
- Borodin's
Symphony No. 2 in B minor (the "Bogatyrskaya") was not in fact completed
until 1876 [back]
- Cui's
review of the Romeo
and Juliet overture which appeared in the 30 September 1871 [O.S.] issue
of the Saint Petersburg Register, and in which Cui had written: "This overture
is a remarkable and extraordinarily talented work" [back]
This page was last updated
on 09 February 2013
|