Vienna
Tchaikovsky Research
Vienna (Wien) is the capital and largest city of Austria.
During Tchaikovsky's lifetime it was part of the Austrian crownland of Lower Austria (Niederösterreich), and part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from 1867.
Tchaikovsky in Vienna
The composer visited Vienna on many occasions, as it was a convenient stopping point for many destinations in western Europe:
From | Until | Notes |
---|---|---|
mid/late August 1870 | mid/late August 1870 | Returning to Russia after a summer holiday in Germany, the composer passed through Vienna, which he liked "more than almost any city in the world" [1]. |
late January/early February 1872 | late January/early February 1872 | Returning from his first visit to Italy. |
20 June/2 July 1876 | 26 June/8 July 1876 | At the start of his summer vacation in western Europe. |
8/20 August 1876 | 9/21 August 1876 | Stopping overnight on his return to Russia, at the end of his summer vacation. |
19 November/1 December 1877 | 30 November/12 December 1877 | Travelling with Iosif Kotek, Tchaikovsky worked on the full scores of the Symphony No. 4 and Yevgeny Onegin. |
8/20 April 1878 | 9/21 April 1878 | An overnight stay on his way back from Clarens to Kamenka. |
17/29 November 1878 | 20 November/1 December 1878 | Staying at the Hôtel Goldenes Lamm, he went with Aleksey Sofronov to the Circus Renz, which he described as "A poor troupe, a dull programme, and not even one pleasing face among the artistes" [2]. |
16/28 February 1881 | 18 February/2 March 1881 | Returning to the Hôtel Goldenes Lamm for two more nights, Tchaikovsky visited the Vienna State Opera and the Orpheum. |
13/25 November 1881 | 14/26 November 1881 | An overnight stop on his way to Rome. |
22 November/4 December 1882 | 23 November/5 December 1882 | Returning to Moscow after another trip to Italy. |
early/mid-March 1884 | early/mid-March 1884 | Returning from Paris to Saint Petersburg. |
14/26 July 1887 | 14/26 July 1887 | He had a brief stroll around the city, before continuing by train to Aachen. |
14/26 March 1888 | 16/28 March 1888 | At the theatre An der Wien he saw a performance of Arthur Sullivan's operetta The Mikado. "I could barely endure two-thirds of one act" [3]. |
25 November/7 December 1888 | 27 November/8 December 1888 | Resting after conducting a performance of Yevgeny Onegin in Prague, before returning to Russia. |
6/18 September 1892 | 9/21 September 1892 | To rehearse and conduct his Suite No. 1 at the Theatrical and Musical Exposition. Although there was "much of interest" at the exhibition itself, he found that the cramped conditions were unsuitable for an orchestral performance, and refused to conduct the suite [4]. |
Bibliography
- Tschaikowsky in Wien (1994)
- Paris vaut bien une messe! Bisher unbekannte Briefe, Notenautographie und andere Čajkovskij-Funde (1998)
- Čajkovskij und die Internationale Ausstellung für Musik- und Theaterwesen Wien 1892. Samt Auszügen aus ihrem "Russland"-Katalog (2007)
External Links
Notes and References
- ↑ Letter 204 to Anatoly Tchaikovsky, 4/16 September 1870.
- ↑ Letter 969 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 18/30 November 1878.
- ↑ Diary entry for 14/26 March 1888.
- ↑ Letter 4767 to Modest Tchaikovsky, 7/19 September–10/22 September 1892.