Letter 3150 - Revision history

Tony at 12:55, 13 February 2025

2025-02-13T12:55:52Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:55, 13 February 2025
Line 27:		Line 27:
	Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.		Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.

	As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''[[Krutikova]]'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas [[Krutikova]] is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''[[Usatov]]'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozhsky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.		As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act, I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''[[Krutikova]]'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas [[Krutikova]] is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''[[Usatov]]'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole, I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is, what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozhsky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance, there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.

	At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.		At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.
Line 36:		Line 36:
	==Notes and References==		==Notes and References==
	<references>		<references>
	<ref name="note1">The account of the premiere of ''[[Cherevichki]]'' at the [[Moscow]] Bolshoi Theatre the previous evening, at which Tchaikovsky himself had conducted.</ref>		<ref name="note1">The account of the premiere of [[Cherevichki]] at the [[Moscow]] Bolshoi Theatre the previous evening, at which Tchaikovsky himself had conducted.</ref>
	<ref name="note2">Tchaikovsky's niece [[Tatyana Davydova]] ("Tanya"), who in the last years of her life had become addicted to morphine, died of sudden heart failure during a masked ball in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 19/31 January 1887. She was just twenty-five. Even though he disapproved of her reckless way of life, Tchaikovsky was very fond of [[Tanya]], and her death affected him deeply. See [[Letter 3153]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 22 January/3 February 1887.</ref>		<ref name="note2">Tchaikovsky's niece [[Tatyana Davydova]] ("Tanya"), who in the last years of her life had become addicted to morphine, died of sudden heart failure during a masked ball in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 19/31 January 1887. She was just twenty-five. Even though he disapproved of her reckless way of life, Tchaikovsky was very fond of [[Tanya]], and her death affected him deeply. See [[Letter 3153]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 22 January/3 February 1887.</ref>
	<ref name="note3">See [[Letter 3141]] to [[Pavlovskaya]], 2/14 January 1887.</ref>		<ref name="note3">See [[Letter 3141]] to [[Pavlovskaya]], 2/14 January 1887.</ref>
Line 42:		Line 42:
	<ref name="note5">[[Dmitry Usatov]] (1847–1913), Russian tenor; Tchaikovsky dedicated to him the song ''Death'', No. 5 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 57]].</ref>		<ref name="note5">[[Dmitry Usatov]] (1847–1913), Russian tenor; Tchaikovsky dedicated to him the song ''Death'', No. 5 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 57]].</ref>
	<ref name="note6">Pavel Akinfievich Khokhlov (1854–1919), Russian baritone, a notable Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera.</ref>		<ref name="note6">Pavel Akinfievich Khokhlov (1854–1919), Russian baritone, a notable Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera.</ref>
	<ref name="note7">The second and third performances of ''[[Cherevichki]]'', which were also conducted by Tchaikovsky, took place on 23 January/4 February and 27 January/8 February 1887.</ref>		<ref name="note7">The second and third performances of [[Cherevichki]], which were also conducted by Tchaikovsky, took place on 23 January/4 February and 27 January/8 February 1887.</ref>
	<ref name="note8">[[Nikolay Chayev]] (1824–1914), Russian dramatist and repertoire manager of the [[Moscow]] theatres.</ref>		<ref name="note8">[[Nikolay Chayev]] (1824–1914), Russian dramatist and repertoire manager of the [[Moscow]] theatres.</ref>
	</references>		</references>

Brett at 13:16, 16 September 2023

2023-09-16T13:16:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:16, 16 September 2023
Line 27:		Line 27:
	Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.		Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.

	As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''[[Krutikova]]'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas [[Krutikova]] is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''Usatov'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozhsky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.		As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''[[Krutikova]]'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas [[Krutikova]] is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''[[Usatov]]'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozhsky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.

	At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.		At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.
Line 40:		Line 40:
	<ref name="note3">See [[Letter 3141]] to [[Pavlovskaya]], 2/14 January 1887.</ref>		<ref name="note3">See [[Letter 3141]] to [[Pavlovskaya]], 2/14 January 1887.</ref>
	<ref name="note4">[[Aleksandra Krutikova]] (1851–1919), Russian contralto.</ref>		<ref name="note4">[[Aleksandra Krutikova]] (1851–1919), Russian contralto.</ref>
	<ref name="note5">Dmitry ~~Andreyevich~~ Usatov (1847–1913), Russian tenor; Tchaikovsky dedicated to him the song ''Death'', No. 5 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 57]].</ref>		<ref name="note5">[[Dmitry Usatov]] (1847–1913), Russian tenor; Tchaikovsky dedicated to him the song ''Death'', No. 5 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 57]].</ref>
	<ref name="note6">Pavel Akinfievich Khokhlov (1854–1919), Russian baritone, a notable Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera.</ref>		<ref name="note6">Pavel Akinfievich Khokhlov (1854–1919), Russian baritone, a notable Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera.</ref>
	<ref name="note7">The second and third performances of ''[[Cherevichki]]'', which were also conducted by Tchaikovsky, took place on 23 January/4 February and 27 January/8 February 1887.</ref>		<ref name="note7">The second and third performances of ''[[Cherevichki]]'', which were also conducted by Tchaikovsky, took place on 23 January/4 February and 27 January/8 February 1887.</ref>
	<ref name="note8">[[Nikolay Chayev]] (1824–1914), Russian dramatist and repertoire manager of the [[Moscow]] theatres.</ref>		<ref name="note8">[[Nikolay Chayev]] (1824–1914), Russian dramatist and repertoire manager of the [[Moscow]] theatres.</ref>
	</references>		</references>

Brett at 15:34, 9 September 2023

2023-09-09T15:34:17Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:34, 9 September 2023
Line 27:		Line 27:
	Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.		Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.

	As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''Krutikova'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas Krutikova is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''Usatov'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozhsky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.		As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''[[Krutikova]]'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas [[Krutikova]] is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''Usatov'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozhsky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.

	At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.		At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.
Line 39:		Line 39:
	<ref name="note2">Tchaikovsky's niece [[Tatyana Davydova]] ("Tanya"), who in the last years of her life had become addicted to morphine, died of sudden heart failure during a masked ball in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 19/31 January 1887. She was just twenty-five. Even though he disapproved of her reckless way of life, Tchaikovsky was very fond of [[Tanya]], and her death affected him deeply. See [[Letter 3153]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 22 January/3 February 1887.</ref>		<ref name="note2">Tchaikovsky's niece [[Tatyana Davydova]] ("Tanya"), who in the last years of her life had become addicted to morphine, died of sudden heart failure during a masked ball in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 19/31 January 1887. She was just twenty-five. Even though he disapproved of her reckless way of life, Tchaikovsky was very fond of [[Tanya]], and her death affected him deeply. See [[Letter 3153]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 22 January/3 February 1887.</ref>
	<ref name="note3">See [[Letter 3141]] to [[Pavlovskaya]], 2/14 January 1887.</ref>		<ref name="note3">See [[Letter 3141]] to [[Pavlovskaya]], 2/14 January 1887.</ref>
	<ref name="note4">Aleksandra ~~Pavlovna~~ Krutikova (1851–1919), Russian contralto.</ref>		<ref name="note4">[[Aleksandra Krutikova]] (1851–1919), Russian contralto.</ref>
	<ref name="note5">Dmitry Andreyevich Usatov (1847–1913), Russian tenor; Tchaikovsky dedicated to him the song ''Death'', No. 5 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 57]].</ref>		<ref name="note5">Dmitry Andreyevich Usatov (1847–1913), Russian tenor; Tchaikovsky dedicated to him the song ''Death'', No. 5 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 57]].</ref>
	<ref name="note6">Pavel Akinfievich Khokhlov (1854–1919), Russian baritone, a notable Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera.</ref>		<ref name="note6">Pavel Akinfievich Khokhlov (1854–1919), Russian baritone, a notable Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera.</ref>

Brett at 13:12, 12 July 2022

2022-07-12T13:12:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:12, 12 July 2022
Line 27:		Line 27:
	Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.		Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.

	As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''Krutikova'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas Krutikova is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''Usatov'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. ~~Vsevolozshky~~]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.		As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''Krutikova'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas Krutikova is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''Usatov'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozhsky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.

	At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.		At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova\|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov\|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.

Brett: 1 revision imported

2022-07-12T12:25:58Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 14:25, 12 July 2022
(No difference)

Brett at 16:08, 20 February 2020

2020-02-20T16:08:09Z

New page

{{letterhead
|Date=20 January/1 February 1887
|To=[[Emiliya Pavlovskaya]]
|Place=[[Moscow]]
|Language=Russian
|Autograph=[[Moscow]] (Russia): {{RUS-Mt}} (Pavlovskaya collection)
|Publication={{bib|1902/25|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 3}} (1902), p. 154–155 (abridged)<br/>{{bibx|1940/226|Чайковский на Московской сцене}} (1940), p. 378–380<br/>{{bib|1974/53|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том XIV}} (1974), p. 20–22
}}

==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
|Language=Russian
|Translator=Luis Sundkvist
|Original text={{right|20 янв[аря] 1887 г[ода]''<br/>''Москва''}}
{{centre|Дорогая, добрая, милая моя Эмилия Карловна!}}
Простите, если письмо моё будет недостаточно подробно и живо изложено. Сегодня утром я получил одно печальное известие (неожиданная смерть племянницы моей, молодой красавицы девушки) так потрясшее меня, что перо валится из рук и что даже о вчерашнем дне, составляющем эпоху в моей жизни, мне трудно говорить. Все мысли устремлены туда, где произошло ужасное несчастье.

Как я писал Вам, по мере того как репетиции шли дальше, я все более и более привыкал к дирижёрству, так что перед генеральной репетицией у меня даже большого страха не было и она прошла очень благополучно. Думал я, что и в день представления я буду не особенно взволнован, но оказалось, что я в этот достопамятный день встал с постели совершенно больной и думал о предстоящем как о чем-то невозможно страшном и ужасном. Не в состоянии изобразить Вам всех претерпленных мною нравственных страданий в течение дня. Однако, ни жив, ни мёртв, появился в театре в назначенный час. Меня ввёл в оркестр Альтани; тотчас же взвился занавес и началось поднесение венков от оркестра, от хоров и т. д. при громе рукоплесканий. Во время этой процедуры я несколько оправился, начал увертюру хорошо и к концу увертюры дирижировал уже совершенно уверенно. Увертюре сильно аплодировали. Первое действие прошло благополучно, хотя хуже гораздо, чем на генеральной репетиции. После первого действия опять подносили венки, в том числе Ваш (за который несчётно благодарю Вас, дорогая!). Много раз вызывали артистов и меня. Тут уж я совершенно успокоился и остальнуюоперу дирижировал совершенно покойно. В 1-ой картине 2 действия публика много смеялась. Между картинами этого действия я несколько раз вставал и кланялся. Третье действие, как мне показалось, понравилось менее второго, но всё-таки аплодировали, кое-что повторяли и вызывали и меня, и артистовмного раз. После конца вызывали горячо и много. Трудно сказать, понравилась ли сильно опера. Театр был наполовину, если не больше, наполнен моими друзьями, и неудивительно, что мне было сделано много оваций; но время и ''настоящая'' публика следующих представлений покажут, относились ли аплодисменты к опере или ко мне лично за прежние заслуги. Большое несчастие, что по болезни ''Крутиковой Солоху'' пела Святловская. Эта роль к ней совсем не идет, тогда как Крутикова превосходна. ''Климентова'' была бы вполне хороша, если б чуточку не ''переиграла''; но все же она очень понравилась. ''Усатов'' был вполне превосходен. ''Корсов'' роль ''Беса'' провёл чрезвычайно тонко и умно, и местами от его игры я был в восторге. ''Хохлов'' ослепил публику своей красотой и костюмом, пел чудесно. Про хоры и оркестр и говорить нечего. Некоторые из маленьких ролей тоже очень у дались. В общем я совершенно доволен артистами и публикой. Теперь спрашивается, каков я как дирижер? Но мне совестно говорить об этом. В с е меня очень хвалили, говорили, что ''не ожидали'', что будто у меня даже оказался дирижерский талант. Но так ли это? Не комплименты ли все лестное, что поповоду этого я слышу??? Я буду дирижировать ещё 2 раза, и только после 3-го мне самому будет ясно, насколько правды в том, что говорят. Открыта подписка на следующие 2 представления, все ещё по увеличенным ценам. Постановка, относительно декораций, ''великолепна'', и этим я обязан И. А. Всеволожскому. Если бы он продолжал быть во главе театра, то и костюмы были бы ''великолепны''. Теперь этого сказать про все костюмы нельзя. Вообще всё-таки заметно, что принцип ''экономии'' царит в здешней дирекции. После представления был большой ужин с обычными спичами и т. д. ''Чаев'' прочёл в мою честь превосходные стихи. Устал я невероятно; но усталость эта была бы скорее приятна, если б негорестное известие, полученное сегодня утром.

В настоящую минуту я едва в состоянии кончить моё письмо, и нужна вся моя горячая любовь и благодарность Вам, чтобы хватило сил отвлечься от печальных мыслей о бедной девушке, смерть которой принесет неутешное, убийственное горе её матери и отцу (сестра моя и зять). Страшно и подумать, что из всего этого выйдет.

Простите, голубушка Эмилия Карловна, бессвязность моего письма. Крепко целую Ваши ручки! Не знаю как и благодарить Вас за все, за все!
{{right|Ваш, П. Чайковский}}

|Translated text={{right|''20 January 1887''<br/>''[[Moscow]]''}}
{{centre|My dear, good and kind [[Emiliya Karlovna]]!}}
Forgive me if the account I give in my letter is insufficiently detailed and vivid <ref name="note1"/>. This morning I received some sad news (the unexpected death of my niece, a beautiful young girl) which has so shocked me that my pen keeps falling out of my hand and it is difficult for me to talk even about yesterday's events, which constitute a whole epoch in my life. All my thoughts are now directed to the scene where this terrible misfortune happened <ref name="note2"/>.

As I wrote to you earlier <ref name="note3"/>, with every new rehearsal I became more and more accustomed to conducting, so that by the time of the dress rehearsal my fear wasn't even that great and the rehearsal went very well. I thought that on the day of the performance, too, I would not be particularly agitated, but, as it turned out, on that memorable day I got up from bed feeling quite sick and thinking about what was going to come as something impossibly horrific and awful. I just cannot describe to you all the moral sufferings I went through in the course of the day. Nevertheless, at the appointed hour I turned up at the theatre, albeit petrified with fright. I was led into the orchestra-pit by [[Altani]]; then the curtain went up at once, and the wreaths began to be presented to me — from the orchestra, from the choruses etc. — all the while accompanied by thundering applause. During this procedure I managed to rally somewhat: thus I started the overture well, and by the end of the overture I was conducting quite confidently. The overture was loudly applauded. The first act went well, albeit far worse than at the dress rehearsal. At the end of the first act I was again presented with wreaths, including yours (for which I thank you infinitely, my dear!). There were many curtain-calls for the singers and me. It was then that I calmed down entirely, and I conducted the rest of the opera quite calmly. The audience laughed a lot during the first scene in Act II. In between the scenes of this act I got up several times to take my bows. The third act, so it seemed to me, didn't go down so well with the audience as the second, but there was still applause, one or two numbers were encored, and the singers and I got lots of curtain-calls. At the very end there were many enthusiastic curtain-calls. It's hard to say whether people liked the opera very much. Half of the auditorium, if not more, was filled with my friends, and it's not surprising that I received many ovations. However, time, as well as the ''real'' audiences at the next performances, will show whether all this applause was intended for the opera or for me personally on the strength of my earlier merits. It was a great misfortune that due to ''Krutikova'' <ref name="note4"/> being ill, Solokha was sung by [[Svyatlovskaya]]. This role doesn't suit her at all, whereas Krutikova is magnificent in it. ''[[Klimentova]]'' would have been perfectly fine if she hadn't ''overacted'' a bit, but all the same the audience liked her very much. ''Usatov'' <ref name="note5"/> was quite splendid. ''[[Korsov]]'' played the part of the ''Devil'' in an uncommonly subtle and clever fashion, and in some places I went into raptures over his acting. ''Khokhlov'' <ref name="note6"/> dazzled the audience with his beauty and costume, and he sang wonderfully. As for the choruses and orchestra, need one say anything about them! Some of the smaller roles were also performed very successfully. On the whole I am completely satisfied with the singers and the public. Now the question is what was I like as a conductor? However, that is something I am embarrassed to talk about. Everyone praised me very much. People said this was something they ''hadn't expected''; they said that I displayed genuine talent as a conductor. But is that really so? Aren't all the flattering things I have heard in this regard just compliments??? I shall conduct the opera two more times, and only after the third time will I be able to see clearly for myself how much truth there is in what they say <ref name="note7"/>. Season-tickets are now on sale for the next two performances, still at the raised prices. The production was ''magnificent'' in terms of the décor, and for this I am obliged to [[I. A. Vsevolozshky]]. If he had continued to be at the helm of the theatre, then the costumes would also have been ''splendid''. This is not something one can say about all the costumes now. Indeed, one cannot help noticing that ''cost-cutting'' is now the guiding principle of the local [Theatres'] Directorate. After the performance there was a big supper with the usual speeches etc. ''[[Chayev]]'' <ref name="note8"/> recited some splendid verses in my honour. I am incredibly tired, but this tiredness would in fact be pleasant were it not for the sad news I received this morning.

At the present moment I feel hardly capable of completing my letter, and it takes all my ardent love and gratitude to you to give me enough strength to abstract myself from my sad thoughts about the poor girl whose death will inflict a disconsolate, terrible grief on her mother and father (my [[Aleksandra Davydova|sister]] and [[Lev Davydov|brother-in-law]]). It is terrible to think what will result from all this.

Forgive me, my dear [[Emiliya Karlovna]], for the incoherence of this letter. I kiss your hands warmly! I do not know how to thank you for everything, for everything!
{{right|Yours, P. Tchaikovsky}}
}}
==Notes and References==
<references>
<ref name="note1">The account of the premiere of ''[[Cherevichki]]'' at the [[Moscow]] Bolshoi Theatre the previous evening, at which Tchaikovsky himself had conducted.</ref>
<ref name="note2">Tchaikovsky's niece [[Tatyana Davydova]] ("Tanya"), who in the last years of her life had become addicted to morphine, died of sudden heart failure during a masked ball in [[Saint Petersburg]] on 19/31 January 1887. She was just twenty-five. Even though he disapproved of her reckless way of life, Tchaikovsky was very fond of [[Tanya]], and her death affected him deeply. See [[Letter 3153]] to [[Nadezhda von Meck]], 22 January/3 February 1887.</ref>
<ref name="note3">See [[Letter 3141]] to [[Pavlovskaya]], 2/14 January 1887.</ref>
<ref name="note4">Aleksandra Pavlovna Krutikova (1851–1919), Russian contralto.</ref>
<ref name="note5">Dmitry Andreyevich Usatov (1847–1913), Russian tenor; Tchaikovsky dedicated to him the song ''Death'', No. 5 of the [[Six Romances, Op. 57]].</ref>
<ref name="note6">Pavel Akinfievich Khokhlov (1854–1919), Russian baritone, a notable Onegin in Tchaikovsky's opera.</ref>
<ref name="note7">The second and third performances of ''[[Cherevichki]]'', which were also conducted by Tchaikovsky, took place on 23 January/4 February and 27 January/8 February 1887.</ref>
<ref name="note8">[[Nikolay Chayev]] (1824–1914), Russian dramatist and repertoire manager of the [[Moscow]] theatres.</ref>
</references>