The program notes for the upcoming Tchaikovsky/Rachmaninoff Concert (Nov 6, 2025) are below. Tickets can be purchased here.
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893) wrote seven symphonies – the six numbered ones plus the Manfred Symphony. The first of these was written in 1866 when he was 26 years old. Its gestation was a period of turmoil for the young composer. He complained of debilitating fatigue before he even began working on the symphony.
He had just joined the faculty of the newly founded Moscow Conservatory. He repeatedly revised the manuscript at the behest of his former teacher Anton Rubinstein, and the effort left him exhausted. Tchaikovsky was emotionally hypersensitive and fragile from childhood throughout the rest of his life.
Indeed, emotional lability may be the defining characteristic of the Russian intelligentsia and affluent class of the 19th century. The great literary works of Pushkin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Checkov largely focus on this characteristic. For more on this trait, see the section below on Rachmaninoff.
Tchaikovsky’s always fragile health broke down due to the numerous revisions urged by Rubinstein. The latter was a musical conservative whose compositional ideal was the German model of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Though fully conversant with the German model, Tchaikovsky developed a symphonic style built on repetition and melodic inspiration. His doctor declared him “one step away from insanity,” because of his working day and night to compose the symphony. The doctor ordered complete rest. Tchaikovsky complied. Finally, he discarded all the revisions that had been forced on him and went back to his original draft. The only revision he kept was because he had lost the original of a small section of the work.
After all the travails of its genesis, the First Symphony shows the germination of the seeds of genius that grew into the great masterpieces of his symphonies 4, 5, and 6. Tchaikovsky was a harsh critic of his own compositions, yet he was always fond of his First Symphony. He wrote to his patroness Nadezhda von Meck in 1883 that he believed, “although it is in many ways very immature… yet fundamentally it has more substance and is better than any of my other more mature works.”
The symphony has the melodic richness and momentum that is unique to Tchaikovsky. The title Winter Daydreams was Tchaikovsky’s as were the titles to the first two movements – Dreams of a Winter Journey and Land of Desolation, Land of Mists. the composer did not explain these titles, nor did he explain why the final two movements had no names.
Nikolai Rubinstein, Anton’s brother, to whom the symphony was dedicated, conducted the scherzo at a Moscow concert of the Russian Musical Society on December 22. 1867. Though the scherzo met with little success, Rubinstein was still ready to perform the complete work. This finally took place on February 15, 1868, to great success. Surprisingly, though, the symphony would have to wait 15 years for its next performance. This performance of a revised version took place in Moscow on December 1, 1883, under the baton of Max Erdmannsdörfer. Today it is regularly performed.
The symphony begins with a quiet oboe theme. The strings then enter. The lyric richness that characterizes all his subsequent work is already here. The second subject is given to the clarinet and flute. A dream-like atmosphere pervades the movement in keeping with the title. The music has all the hallmarks that make Tchaikovsky’s music unique and instantly recognizable.
The second movement has a melody of such breadth and grace that it could easily have come from one of his ballets. It signals that a genius, unlike any other Russian composer, had arrived. The composer’s melodic gift is unsurpassed and only matched by a handful. This melody is taken from the “Poco Meno Mosso” section of his first Symphonic Poem, The Storm. The horns enter about 70% into the movement. The score calls for two horns. Maestro Cho has upped the number to five to enhance the sound of this section of the movement.
The third movement is quick and agile. It is suggestive of Mendelssohn. It was the first movement to be written. It was salvaged from the third movement of a piano sonata that he had written as a student. Tchaikovsky transposed the movement down a semitone to C minor and replaced the trio with a waltz.
The finale is based on the Russian folk song “Will I open my little one, my little one?’ It is the basis for the introduction and the second subject. It is also incorporated into the vigorous first subject. The recapitulation restates the movement’s introduction. The movement ends with a vigorous coda. Critics from Tchaikovsky’s own time to the present note its lack of inevitability, yet its energy remains irresistible.
The listener should be glad that Tchaikovsky rejected the academic advice of his elders and produced a work that only he could have. The succession of masterpieces that followed are all presaged by his First Symphony. It is the work that declares the arrival of a new master, one who has a sound and style that the entire world would soon come to embrace.
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was the last great composer in the Russian classical style. Stylistically, he was the direct heir to Tchaikovsky. In 1892 Tchaikovsky attended the premiere of Rachmaninoff’s Aleko, a one-act opera based on the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin and praised Rachmaninoff for his work. When he learned of Tchaikovsky’s death the following year he was shattered.
Later that day, he began work on his Trio Élégiaque No. 2 for piano, violin, and cello as a tribute. The music’s aura of gloom reveals the depth and sincerity of Rachmaninoff’s grief for his idol. After that he underwent a period of profound depression and was unable to compose. This compositional inertia lasted for two years. In September 1895 he completed his Symphony No. 1. It was not performed until March 1897.
The first, and only performance of the work during Rachmaninoff’s lifetime, was an epic disaster. The work was savaged by the critics. Much of the blame for the symphony’s failure belongs to its conductor, Alexander Glazunov. He was a distinguished composer and pedagogue, but was not a very good conductor. He may also have been drunk during the performance. Dmitri Shostakovitch, who was later his student, said Glazunov always kept a bottle of vodka in his desk drawer. The second performance of the symphony, a success, took place at the Moscow Conservatory on October 17, 1945. It is now part of the standard orchestral repertoire.
Rachmaninoff suffered another mental collapse following the failure of his symphony. He was again unable to compose. At his best, he was not the happiest of men. Stravinsky described him as “Six foot six inches of Russian gloom.” At the behest of his friends, he finally sought medical assistance from the neurologist Dr. Nikolai Dahl, who successfully treated him with hypnotherapy. The result was the Piano Concerto No. 2. The concerto is dedicated to Dr Dahl.
The first performance of the complete concerto was at a Moscow Philharmonic Society concert on November 9, 1901. The composer was the soloist. He performed the work 143 times in concert throughout his career. The concerto was a huge success with the public from its initial appearance and has remained one of the most popular concertos in the repertoire. Critics were initially reserved, but the audience has overwhelmed them and the work is now an acknowledged masterpiece.
While not abandoning tonality and melody, as did many of his 20th century coevals, his personal idiom, notable for its song-like melodicism, expressiveness, dense contrapuntal textures, and rich orchestral colors, makes his music unique. Though he is the direct descendant of Tchaikovsky, his style blends sweeping Romantic lyricism and rich harmonies into music that is both virtuosic and emotionally direct. His immediate connection to the audience likely outdoes any other 20th century composer. Arguably the greatest pianist of the last century, the demands of his concertizing limited his compositional output. Had he been less of a virtuoso, he would have left behind many more works.
The first movement is in sonata form. It starts with the piano alone playing dark chords of increasing intensity. The first theme is played by the strings with the piano accompanying it. The second theme is more lyrical. The development section features a dramatic interplay between the piano and orchestra. The main theme returns and the movement ends with a coda based on the first subject.
The second movement, marked adagio sostenuto, is in A-B-A form. It begins with muted strings and clarinet, creating a dreamy, nocturne-like atmosphere. In the middle section, the piano sings one of Rachmaninoff’s most moving themes. This second theme, along with the one described below, has been used many times in both movies and as the basis of popular songs. The movement ends with the return of the tranquil opening material fading into a hushed close with the piano playing alone.
The final movement opens with a brief period of orchestral calm leading to a series of forceful chords. The piano enters with the music full of momentum and energy. This section transitions to one of the most beautiful melodies in the concerto literature. The melody fades as the music again becomes vigorous and with a forward drive. The great melody returns, followed by vigorous music that preceded it. It then forms the basis for the glorious close to the concerto.
The piece established Rachmaninoff’s fame as a concerto composer and is one of his most enduringly popular pieces. While it is not the virtuosic showpiece that is his Piano Concerto No. 3, it uniquely touches the heart.
Thank you Dr Dahl.
