Tchaikovsky
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Ippolit Al'tani (1846–1919)

Ippolit Al'tani

Russian conductor, choirmaster and violinist (b. 15/27 May 1846 in Ekaterinoslav [now Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine]; d. 17 February 1919 in Moscow), born Ippolit Karlovich Al'tani (Ипполит Карлович Альтани, Ippolit Karlovič Al'tani).

A contemporary of Tchaikovsky at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, he was taught by Henryk Wienawski, Nikolai Zaremba and Anton Rubinstein, graduating in 1866. He then secured a position as choirmaster and conductor at the Russian Opera in Kiev (1867–1881), before becoming principal conductor at the Bol'shoi Theatre in Moscow (1882–1906).

Al'tani premiered many of Tchaikovsky's works, including The Year 1812 (1882) and Elegy for String Orchestra (1884), and conducted the first performances at the Bol'shoi Theatre of the operas Mazepa (1884), The Enchantress (1890), The Queen of Spades (1891) and Iolanta (1893). Al'tani also assisted Tchaikovsky with preparations to conduct Cherevichki at the Bol'shoi Theatre in 1887.

Tchaikovsky's correspondence with Ippolit Al'tani:

• 7 letters from Tchaikovsky to Ipolit Al'tani have survived, dating from 1884 to 1889.