Letter 4262a

Tchaikovsky Research
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Date 28 November/10 December 1890
Addressed to Pyotr Jurgenson
Where written Saint Petersburg
Language Russian
Autograph Location Klin (Russia): Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve (a3, No. 2828)
Publication П. И. Чайковский. Переписка с П. И. Юргенсоном, том 2 (1952), p. 257–258 (dated "1892")
П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том XVII (1981), p. 253

Text and Translation

Russian text
(original)
English translation
By Brett Langston
На генеральную репетицию, вообще на какие бы то ни было репетиций, никто не допускается. На чем основано это новое распоряжение, — не знаю. Собственно генеральной репетиции в общепринятом смысле не будет, а будет 1-ое представление в будущую среду, но на нем, кроме государя, царской фамилии и двора, никто не будет. Итак, приезжай к 1-му представлению.

Получил 4-х-ручное переложение "Гамлета". При первом же поверхностном осмотре нашёл ошибки: корректировано плохо. Но я ещё не играл переложения и не знаю, хорошо ли сделано. Отчего ты мне не показал до печатания ну хоть 3-ю корректуру? Пожалуйста, побалуй Бориса, возьми его с собой Питер!

Твой П. Чайковский

No-one is permitted to attend a dress rehearsal, nor any sort of rehearsal whatever. I don't know the basis for this new order. Actually there will not be a dress rehearsal in the generally accepted sense, but rather a 1st performance next Wednesday [1], but no-one else besides the Sovereign, the royal family and courtiers will be there. So come to the 1st performance.

I've received the 4-hand arrangement of "Hamlet" [2]. At a first glance I noticed errors: poor proof-reading. But I haven't played the arrangements yet, and I don't know if it's been done well. Why didn't you at least show me the 3rd proofs before printing? Please, bring Boris along with you to Piter.

Yours P. Tchaikovsky

Notes and References

  1. The dress rehearsal for Tchaikovsky's new opera The Queen of Spades took place on 5/17 December 1890 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, just two days before the first public performance.
  2. Tchaikovsky's overture-fantasia Hamlet had been arranged by Henryk Pachulski for piano duet.