Letter 172

Tchaikovsky Research
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Date after 24 December 1869/5 January 1870
Addressed to Mily Balakirev
Where written Moscow
Language Russian
Autograph Location Saint Petersburg (Russia): National Library of Russia (ф. 834, ед. хр. 11, л. 33–34)
Publication Переписка М. А. Балакирева и П. И. Чайковского (1868-1891) [1912], p. 54
П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том V (1959), p. 198 ("late December 1869")
Милий Алексеевич Балакирев. Воспоминания и письма (1962), p. 149–150

Text and Translation

Russian text
(original)
English translation
By Luis Sundkvist
Милый друг!

Ник[олай] Рубинштейн просит известить Вас, что по не зависящим от него обстоятельствам, концерта нельзя будет дать ранее 9-го числа; итак, выберите или этот день, или же 16 число. Он будет играть в Вашем концерте, но дирижировать будет, по всей вероятности, Лауб; впрочем, об этом обстоятельстве поговорите, когда приедете. Об Арто нечего и думать, — но если хотите, романс Марии может спеть Александрова.

Поздравляю Вас с праздниками.

П. Чайковский

Dear friend!

Nikolay Rubinstein asks me to inform you that, due to circumstances beyond his control, the concert cannot take place before the 9th [1]. So please choose either that date or the 16th. He will play in your concert, but the conductor will in all likelihood be Laub. However, you can discuss this detail when you get here. Artôt's participation is quite out of the question, but if you wish, Aleksandrova can sing Mariya's romance [2].

Compliments of the season!

P. Tchaikovsky

Notes and References

  1. Balakirev had been invited to conduct a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow in January 1870. See also Letter 170 to Balakirev, 20 December 1869/1 January 1870.
  2. In his letter to Tchaikovsky of 22 December 1869/3 January 1870, Balakirev had set out the provisional programme of works which he wanted to conduct at the RMS concert in Moscow: Schumann's Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major; Rimsky-Korsakov's Serbian Fantasy; some choruses by Dargomyzhsky; and his own Overture on Czech Themes. He had also suggested that Désirée Artôt-Padilla might be persuaded to sing Mariya's romance from Act III of Cui's opera William Ratcliff at this concert. See Balakirev's letter in Милий Алексеевич Балакирев. Воспоминания и письма (1962), p. 149.