Letter 4679

Tchaikovsky Research
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Date 2/14 May 1892
Addressed to Pyotr Jurgenson
Where written Saint Petersburg
Language Russian
Autograph Location Klin (Russia): Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve (a3, No. 2804)
Publication П. И. Чайковский. Переписка с П. И. Юргенсоном, том 2 (1952), p. 243
П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том XVI-Б (1979), p. 86

Text and Translation

Russian text
(original)
English translation
By Brett Langston
2 мая

Душа моя!

Был вчера у Альбрехта. Само собой разумеется, что Дирекция приобретёт матерьял «Щелкунчика», как и «Иоланты». Ведь то и другое вместе будет рассматриваться как одна большая опера, и балет этот не подходит под обычные условия.

Альбрехт обещал отослать партитуру назад тотчас после того, как будет сделан viol[on] Répétiteur.

Феррари человек добросовестный, — это по всему видно — но он, должно быть, очень бездарен. Ведь и портному нужна артистическая струнка. До свиданья!

Твой, П. Чайковский

Послезавтра еду в Клин.

2 May

My dear chap!

I was with Albrecht yesterday. Needless to say, the Directorate will acquire the materials for "The Nutcracker", just as with "Iolanta". Indeed, the pair taken together are being considered to constitute one grand opera, and the usual terms don't apply to the ballet itself.

Albrecht promised to return the score immediately upon completion of the violin répétiteur [1].

Ferrari [2] is a conscientious man, by all accounts, but he must be rather inept [3]. After all, even a tailor needs to be an artist with thread. Until we meet!

Yours, P. Tchaikovsky

The day after tomorrow I'm going to Klin [4].

Notes and References

  1. An arrangement of the ballet score for two violins, made for rehearsal purposes.
  2. Emilio Ferrari (1851-1933), Italian opera composer.
  3. Tchaikovsky seems to have been replying to a letter from Pyotr Jurgenson which has not survived.
  4. While the composer had been in Saint Petersburg, Aleksey Sofronov had been moving his belongings from his old home at Maydanovo to a new residence in the nearby town of Klin.