Letter 614
| Date | between 10/22 and 16/28 October 1877 |
|---|---|
| Addressed to | Anton Door |
| Where written | Clarens |
| Language | Russian |
| Autograph Location | unknown |
| Publication | Московские ведомости (28 March 1901) Neue freie Presse (30 March 1901) (German translation) П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том VI (1961), p. 183 |
Text and Translation
Based on the 1901 publication of the letter in the Moscow Register, which may contain differences in formatting and content from Tchaikovsky's original letter.
| Russian text (original) |
English translation By Brett Langston |
Любезный друг!
Я долго не отвечал на Ваше письмо, так как вскоре после получения его сериозно заболел. Нервная система моя до того была потрясена, что брат мой, по совету врачей, увез меня в Швейцарию, где я должен некоторое время провести в полном уединении. Я только начинаю приходить в себя и спешу благодарить Вас и сказать Вам, что я счастлив, если моя симфония понравилась Вам, и горжусь мнением о ней г. Рихтера. О, какую радость испытал бы я, если бы моя симфония исполнялась в Вене! Я живу в восхитительном месте, имею пред своими глазами Женевское озеро и обрамляющие его чудные горы. Тем не менее, я весьма печален и потерял вкус к жизни. Боюсь, что такое моё состояние долго продолжится, и мне нельзя будет работать. Дружески жму Вашу руку. П. Чайковский |
Beloved friend!
I have not answered your letter [1] for some time, since shortly after receiving it I became seriously ill. My nervous system was shocked to the extent that my brother, following doctors' advice, took me to Switzerland, where I had to spend some time in total solitude. Only now am I beginning to come to my senses, and I hasten to thank you and tell you that I am happy if you like my symphony, and proud of Mr Richter's opinion of it. Oh how joyful it would make me if my symphony were to be performed in Vienna! [2] I am living in a delightful place, with Lake Geneva before my very eyes, framed by wonderful mountains. Nevertheless, I am extremely sad and have lost my appetite for life. I fear that my condition may endure for a long while, and I shall be unable to work. I shake your hand amiably. P. Tchaikovsky |
Notes and References
- ↑ This letter from Anton Door has not survived.
- ↑ Writing many years later about Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3, Door recalled: "I was fascinated by it and ... hastened to introduce it to [Hans] Richter, who was as delighted as I was, and decided to perform it publicly. Unfortunately, this intention was not fulfilled, because after the rehearsal, the leaders of the [Vienna] Philharmonic Society were afraid that such a difficult work by an unknown composer would not be well received..." — see Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском (1901).
