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| '''''The Fifth Symphony Concert. The Second Quartet Series. The Italian Opera''''' (Пятое симфоническое собрание. Вторая квартетная серия. Итальянская опера) <ref name="note1"/> ([[TH]] 299 ; [[ČW]] 564) was Tchaikovsky's thirty-fourth music-review article for the Moscow journal ''Russian Register'' (Русские ведомости), in which it was published on 3 January 1875 {{OS}}. | | {{letterhead |
| | |Date=2/14 July 1883 |
| | |To=[[Nikolay Hubert]] |
| | |Place=[[ Podushkino]] |
| | |Language=Russian |
| | |Autograph=[[Klin]] (Russia): {{RUS-KLč}} (a{{sup|3}}, No. 108) |
| | |Publication={{bibx|1918/15|Прошлое русской музыки. Материалы и исследования ; том 1}} (1920), p. 24–26<br/>{{bib|1970/86|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том XII}} (1970), p. 183–185 |
| | }} |
| | ==Text== |
| | {{Lettertext |
| | |Language=Russian |
| | |Translator= |
| | |Original text={{right|''Подушкино''<br/>''2 июля 1883''}} |
| | {{centre|Дорогой Николай Альбертович!}} |
| | Оба Ваши письма получил разом. Я очень грущу и сожалею, что с Вами было поступлено так неделикатно, несправедливо, грубо; очень понимаю, что у Вас накопилось в сердце много горечи и что Вам нет удовольствия помышлять о Консерватории. Но Вы ещё слишком близки к совер[шив]шимся событиям, чтобы иметь вполне верный взгляд на Ваше будущее положение в Консерв[атории] в случае принятия профессуры. Мне, бывшему в стороне и притом питающему дружбу к Вам столько же, сколь и привязанности к нашей Консерватории, легче относиться ко всему этому, так сказать, объективно. И я смотрю на дело таким образом. Консерватория в Вас страшно нуждается; невозможно, чтобы во главе теоретических классов стоял такой мальчик, как Аренский. Вы единственный человек в России, соединяющий в себе и те специальные сведения, и ту общую образованность, и ту опытность, которые потребны для занятия должности преподавателя теории. Если есть в Дирекции люди, которые этого не понимают, то нужно им это разъяснить. Следовательно, они должны к Вам обратиться. Но Вам не было оказано должного уважения; ваше достоинство было оскорблено; к Вам отнеслись неблагодарно и грубо. Итак, необходимо, чтобы те, которые во всем этом виноваты, сознали бы свою вину и в той или другой форме удовлетворили бы справедливость. О подробностях, как это сделать, напишу к Вам, когда основательно переговорю с надлежащим, так сказать, начальством. Через 3 дни у Юргенсона соберутся Альбрехт, Кашкин, Зверев, я, — и будем обсуждать, как поступить и что делать. Засим я буду иметь совещание с Алексеевым. В своё время о всем извещу Вас. Быть может, я проживу здесь до 15 августа и дождусь Вашего возвращения, чтобы содействовать решению дела. А затем, если как следует Вам будет воздано должное и будут Вас просить принять профессуру, Вы, по-моему, ''не должны'' отказывать, хотя бы из самопожертвования ради общего дела. Вы спрашиваете: ''какими глазами'' вы посмотрите и ''на Вас посмотрят''. Скажу Вам прямо, что на Вас все честные люди посмотрят с радостью и с любовью. Я не знаю никого в среде Консерваторского кружка, кто бы не сознавал, что Вы умный, честнейший и добрейший человек. Что касается до ''ваших врагов'', то на них Вам следует плюнуть. Альбрехта я в их число, конечно, не ставлю. Я ''знаю'', что он Вас всегда любил больше, чем кого-либо. Роль его во всем этом деле мне непонятна; думаю, что тут есть одно из тех роковых недоразумений, которые очень часто разрывают дружбу между двумя хорошими людьми. Я не считаю его способным делать ''гадости'' ради у довольствия их делать. Он, по своей претензии быть тонким Макиавелем, вероятно, тут что-то перехитрил. Впрочем, я с ним не видался ещё. Во всяком случае верьте, что все те, которых благорасположения и уважения к себе стоит желать, — умеют ценить Вас. В первое время Вам, конечно, будет несколько неловко и тяжело очутиться снова в среде, из которой Вы вышли по неприятности. Но пере мелется — мука будет. Вы по природе своей человек, рождённый для кабинетной работы, и поверьте, что со временем, когда все уляжется, Вам приятно будет сознавать, что судьба сняла с плеч Ваших тяжёлую обузу административного деятеля. Кроме своих консерваторских часов, Вы, в качестве. теоретика, не сталкивающегося в своей деятельности с другими областями преподавания (с теми, в коих живёт дух взаимного недоброжелательства, зависти и интриганства), будете совершенно свободный и самостоятельный человек. И когда история, вследствие которой Вы избавились от директорства, уйдёт в пучину прошедшего, Вы с тем большею снисходительностью отнесётесь к людям, провинившимся перед Вами, что, ''вероятно'', и Вы, конечно, невольно в чем-нибудь да были виноваты. Полагаю, что Вы нехотя затронули чьи-нибудь амбиции, задели чью-нибудь щепетильность и т. д. Подобно Вам, я не разделяю людей на пошлецов и рыцарей и не могу допустить, чтобы в этом деле в с я вина была на той стороне. Менее всего Вам следует обращать внимание на неделикатность поступков Дирекции. Это люди неспособные понять, что все. Ваше директорство было подвигом, мученичеством ради дела и что если Вы ошибались, то уж, конечно, не потому чтобы гонялись за личными интересами и ставили их выше общих. Вам следует с философским равнодушием перенести их ''неведение''. |
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| This article contains a fascinating comparison between [[Berlioz]] and [[Beethoven]], in which Tchaikovsky points out that although the great French composer strove for "orchestral colouring" above all and, unlike [[Beethoven]], was unable to construct "a tremendous musical edifice" from a simple basic idea, [[Berlioz]] did nevertheless sometimes attain the "loftiest heights of artistic beauty", in particular in the music of Faust's dream and the ''Ballet des Sylphes'' in ''La damnation de Faust'', which Tchaikovsky calls "a work of genius"; extensive quotations again from [[Berlioz]]'s '' Memoirs'' (as in [[TH 282]] and [[TH 285]]), whose uncompromising sincerity Tchaikovsky compares to Rousseau; a detailed appraisal of [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s Third Symphony, which it had taken the younger composer several years to complete (1866–73), and in which Tchaikovsky perceptively discerns signs of a certain "conservatism" and fondness for "archaic forms" that belied his earlier innovative spirit (when he had been encouraged by [[Balakirev]]) and deprived the symphony of "sincerity and spontaneity"; nevertheless Tchaikovsky enthusiastically praises some parts of the work and emphasizes that [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] has the potential to become "the principal symphonist of our times"; observations on how the "[[Moscow]] Quartet" was getting on in the absence of its first violin [[Ferdinand Laub]]; and a mock eulogy to the managers of the Italian Opera Company on behalf of a 'grateful' [[Moscow]].
| | Повторяю ещё раз, что ''Вы'' необходимы для Консерватории и что во всяком случае не найдётся ни одного благомыслящего человека, который от всей души не желал бы, чтобы Вы вернулись на своё профессорское место. Я же этого желаю от всей: души и. сделаю все, что можно, дабы это устроилось. |
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| ==History==
| | До свидания, голубчик. Александре Ивановне сердечный поклон. |
| Completed by 3/15 January 1875 (date of publication). As well as commenting on recent developments at the Italian Opera Company in [[Moscow]], Tchaikovsky reviewed two concerts:
| | {{right|Ваш П. Чайковский}} |
| * The fifth symphony concert of the Russian Musical Society in [[Moscow]] on 20 December 1874/1 January 1875, conducted by [[Nikolay Rubinstein]] and featuring [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s Symphony No. 3 in C major, Op. 32, [[Anton Rubinstein]]'s Piano Concerto No. 4 in D minor, Op. 70 (soloist Dmitry Klimov), [[Chopin]]'s ''Nocturne'' in C minor, Op. 48/1 and a ''Waltz'' in C major by Carl Tausig, both of which were also played by Klimov, an unspecified aria by [[Mozart]] sung by Emilio Naudin, and several excerpts from [[Berlioz]]'s ''La damnation de Faust'', including the ''Marche hongroise'' and ''Ballet des Sylphes'';
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| * The third RMS chamber music concert in [[Moscow]] on 22 December 1874/3 January 1875 at which the "[[Moscow]] Quartet" ([[Jan Hřímalý]], [[Adolph Brodsky]], Yury Gerber, and [[Wilhelm Fitzenhagen]]) played [[Beethoven]]'s String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131, and the pianist Nadezhda Muromtseva, together with [[Hřímalý]], Gerber, and [[Fitzenhagen]], performed [[Schumann]]'s Piano Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 47.
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| ==English translation==
| | |Translated text= |
| {{Copyright|English text copyright © 2009 Luis Sundkvist.}}
| | }} |
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| ===The Fifth Symphony Concert===
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| The programme for the Russian Musical Society's fifth symphony concert was extraordinarily interesting. Alongside a great new Russian symphony and the [[Moscow]] début of a young Russian pianist, we also heard M. Naudin <ref name="note2"/> give a wondrous interpretation of an enchanting aria by [[Mozart]] and, finally, one of the most magnificent and poetic works of the great French composer [[Berlioz]]. I should like to start by saying a few words about the latter, as it was the jewel in the crown of the programme for this most recent symphony concert.
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| Out of the long sequence of vocal and symphonic numbers which make up [[Berlioz]]'s music to the legend of ''Faust'', the following pieces were selected for the programme of the concert I am reviewing: the ''Ronde des paysans'', the ''Students' drinking song'', ''Faust's dream'', the ''Menuet des follets'', and the ''Marche hongroise''. The reader may perhaps be wondering what link there can possibly be between the Magyar nationality and the ''Faust'' legend. Well, the point is that it was a purely external factor which, as I shall explain below, led to this Hungarian military march appearing in the middle of music that is supposed to convey the various states of mind and emotional phases of [[Goethe]]'s hero.
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| [[Berlioz]] drew only partly on the great German poet's scenario for the material on which he based his own musical depiction of the personality of Faust and his adventures. In his ''Memoirs'', which are of inestimable value both for what they tell us about [[Berlioz]]'s person and character, and for understanding the overall spirit and historical significance of the Romantic period in art—in this autobiography, which, in terms of its beautifully written and passionate narrative, as well as the amazing sincerity of the author's self-criticism, reminds one of the famous works of Rousseau <ref name="note3"/>, [[Berlioz]] recounts in a very simple and artless fashion the whole process of how he came to compose the music to ''Faust'', as well as giving the reason why he did not hesitate to move his hero to Hungary. Further down I shall cite, for the benefit of my readers, a very interesting and significant extract from [[Berlioz]]'s ''Memoirs'' concerning ''Faust''.
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| The first two excerpts—the ''Ronde des paysans'' and the chorus of students who sing in doggerel Latin verses of the beneficial influence on man of wine and revelry—are both characteristic, interesting, and colourful, but they are nevertheless marred to some extent by that clumsiness in the harmonic combinations and awkwardness in the flow of the melodic ideas which constitute an organic defect in the musical nature of [[Berlioz]]. I have already once—last year, if I remember correctly—tried to explain to readers the peculiarity of [[Berlioz]]'s music whereby poetic fantasy predominates in it over purely musical invention <ref name="note4"/>.
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| [[Berlioz]] is undiscriminating in his choice of themes, poor in melodic ideas, and devoid of a sense of the beauty of polyphonic voice leading, but in those works where he is inspired by the poetic task before him all these faults are redeemed by his astonishing aptitude for musical illustration by means of the colours of the orchestra. In contrast to [[Beethoven]], [[Berlioz]] is unable to take a simple basic idea, which is nevertheless fraught with the potential for endless harmonic and rhythmic combinations, and construct from it a tremendous musical edifice that strikes one both by the beauty of its overall shape and by the perfection of its details, and which, in spite of the variety and the contrasts between the separate parts, is pervaded by the unity of that fundamental motif.
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| For [[Beethoven]], orchestral colouring is a means; for [[Berlioz]], it is an end. If in the analysis of artistic works one is allowed to make conjectures about the creative process which gave rise to them, then, comparing the symphonic works of [[Beethoven]] and [[Berlioz]], I would say that in the case of the former the abstract musical idea would arise first before then acquiring, in the composer's imagination, the outward shape in which it was to be presented; whereas with the latter it was the beautiful form and some notion of a striking combination of colours that brought forth the musical idea as such. Although, as a result perhaps of insufficient poetic inspiration, [[Berlioz]] did not always arrive at a beautiful melodic idea through this process, in those relatively rare instances where he did succeed in this he was most definitely capable of attaining the loftiest heights of artistic beauty.
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| Amongst those works of [[Berlioz]] in which we do find a complete accordance between content and form, we must certainly reckon the third excerpt from his ''Faust'' music which we heard at the concert: namely, ''Méphistophélès's aria'', the ''Choeur de Gnomes et de Sylphes'', and the ''Ballet des Sylphes'', which follow on seamlessly from one another. Surrounded by exuberant nature in some secluded spot in the country, the exhausted Faust is lulled to sleep by Méphistophélès who commands the spirits over which he rules to plunge him into sweet dreams of love and happiness. Little by little everything around becomes quiet until amidst the silence of the night the fantastic strains of a waltz begin to waft across from somewhere, with little elves dancing to its evenly undulating rhythm. To seek to convey verbally the overwhelming beauty of this music would be a reckless attempt to overstep the limits that have been imposed on the human word.
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| [[Berlioz]] reaches up here to those sky-blue heights to which man's artistic feeling can only now and then soar by means of music alone. The other two excerpts—the poignant ''Dance of the will-o-the-wisps'' [''Menuet des follets''] and the effective ''Hungarian March''—bring us back to earth, but that does not stop them from nevertheless dazzling us with the most sumptuous colours of the Berliozian orchestra. Now I shall cite that section in [[Berlioz]]'s memoirs which deals with his music to ''Faust''. It is significant in every respect, and I am sure that the reader who is not familiar with the bulky autobiography of this composer will read the following extract from it with some interest:
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| {{quote|During my journey through Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, and Silesia I started to compose my ''Faust'' legend, the plan for which I had long been nursing in my mind. Having thus decided to finally undertake this work, I also had to resolve to write the actual libretto for it myself...}}
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| {{quote|As I was sitting in my German post-chaise, I started first of all to think over Faust's invocation to Nature, and, once I had overcome the initial difficulties, I was able to write little by little all the verses that I needed as and when the musical ideas for this new work came to me. Indeed, I composed the score with an ease such as I have rarely experienced with my other works. I worked on it where and when I could: in coaches, in trains, on steamboats, and even in the towns where I was due to give concerts despite all the trouble and hard work that the latter entailed. Thus, it was in an inn at Passau on the Bavarian frontier that I wrote the ''Introduction''...}}
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| {{quote|Before that in fact, when I was still in Vienna, I had written in the course of a night a march on Hungarian themes. The extraordinary impression which this march caused in Pesth induced me to include it in my score for ''Faust'', whereby I also took the liberty of locating my hero in Hungary and making him witness the passage of the Hungarian army across the plain where he is wandering, absorbed in his dreams...}}
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| {{quote|One German critic found it very strange that I had decided to make Faust journey through that country. I cannot see, however, why I should have abstained from this, for I would not have hesitated to take Faust to any other place in the world if my score would have benefited from it. I had in no way set myself the task of keeping to the plan of [[Goethe]]'s tragedy, and I had every right to show my eccentric hero embarking on the most outlandish journeys, without thereby doing violence to plausibility..}}
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| {{quote|I have often subsequently asked myself why this and other German critics, who attacked me on many occasions for my deviation from [[Goethe]]'s tragedy, did not scold me for my libretto to the ''Roméo et Juliette'' symphony, which differs quite considerably from [[Shakespeare]]'s immortal creation. Of course, the answer is that it is because [[Shakespeare]] was not a German. Patriotism! Fetishism! Cretinism!}}
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| {{quote|In Pesth, one evening when I had lost my way in the streets of the town, I composed the ''Peasants' Dance'' by the light of a shop's lantern. In [[Prague]] I jumped out of bed in the middle of the night to write down a tune which I was terribly afraid to forget—the chorus of angels during the apotheosis of Marguerite. […] In [[Breslau]] I wrote both the words (in Latin) and the music for the students' song...}}
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| {{quote|The rest was written in [[Paris]], and, moreover, always in an impromptu fashion: say, at home, at the café, in the Jardin des Tuileries, even on the curbstone of a boulevard. I did not search for my ideas: they would come to me by themselves and in the most unexpected manner. Finally, when my sketch for the whole score was complete, I set about working on it with that tenacity and patience I am so capable of. […] I regard this work as one of my most successful compositions. To this day the public evidently shares my opinion <ref name="note5"/>}}
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| To these words of [[Berlioz]] I can only add that our Muscovite public, too, evidently agrees with the composer in this opinion of his work. For during the performance of [[Berlioz]]'s ''Faust'' the audience emerged from its habitual apathy and, incredible as it may seem!, at the end of the third excerpt (the best one) loud cries of "encore" resounded throughout the concert-hall. Unfortunately, it was very late in the evening by then, and [[Nikolay Rubinstein|Mr Rubinstein]] saw that it was not feasible to satisfy this wish of a considerable part of the audience. However, I can console those of my readers who would like to hear this work of genius by [[Berlioz]] one more time by pointing out that at the next (i.e. the sixth) concert of the Musical Society ''Faust'' will be played again <ref name="note6"/>.
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| Now I shall move on to a brief discussion of the new symphony by Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] <ref name="note7"/>, which was also performed at this symphony concert. The overall impression produced by this work can be characterized as follows: a predominance of technique over the quality of the musical ideas; insufficient inspiration and verve, instead of which we are presented with a multiplicity of finely elaborated, colourful details that does sometimes seem excessive.
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| This symphony has been nurtured and tended for with a care so great that it reminds one of that maternal love which imagines that the whole essence of education consists of nourishing and pampering a child as if it were always to be kept in a hothouse so to speak. It is clear that Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] is now at a stage of transition: he is trying to find his footing, wavering as he does so between an inclination for novelty, which he has displayed on his banner ever since his earliest days, and a secret sympathy for antiquated and archaic musical forms <ref name="note8"/>. For he is in fact a worthy townsman <ref name="note9"/>, a conservative at heart, who once let himself be carried away to fight on the barricades as a free-thinker, but who is now making a timid retreat. As a result of this lack of sincerity and spontaneity in his artistic conception, Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] falls into a dryness, coldness, and emptiness which the elegant polish he gives to every slightest detail cannot always camouflage successfully.
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| It is therefore not surprising that the audience did not receive Mr [[Korsakov]]'s symphony with any special enthusiasm. As far as the experts are concerned, they could of course not fail to be enchanted by the magic of the details sprinkled all over the score of our symphonist, which caresses the ear with its scintillating tonal combinations. Through the masks of the worthy townsman and the bold innovator which the composer puts on by turns, without openly taking one side or the other, one can constantly see a strong, highly talented, and plastically graceful creative individuality. When Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]], after the process of fermentation which is evidently still taking place in his musical organism, finally reaches a stable phase in his development, he will almost certainly evolve into the principal symphonist of our times—and, moreover, one who is far more likely to side with classicism (towards which his musical nature does tend after all) than with the dishevelled Romantic school of [[Berlioz]] and [[Liszt]].
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| He will then be a musical eclectic in the best sense of the word—namely, in that of [[Glinka]]—combining the strict organic cohesion of classical forms and methods with that dazzling beauty of outward expression which constitutes an integral feature of the new school. But all this still lies ahead in the future. For now what we have heard is a symphony which has two movements that, in spite of the aforementioned flaw (an excessive profusion of details), provide the sensitive connoisseur with a rich source of musical delights. The two movements I am referring to are the first two of the symphony: the ''Allegro'' and the ''Scherzo''.
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| In the ''Allegro'' Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] displays a remarkable mastery of form, an amazing understanding of the orchestra, and a facility for contrapuntal thematic elaboration which anyone else endeavouring to write symphonies cannot possibly fail to envy him for. I wouldn't say that the themes in this movement of the work appealed to me particularly, but the author, by presenting them in the most varied ways, manages to make them interesting throughout. In places Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]] endows his orchestra with a sound that is truly magic. For example, I should like to single out that episode in the Introduction where the flutes play in unison a phrase in the lowest register which is contrapuntally tied to a fragment of the principal theme entrusted to the violins and viola. Those who have heard the symphony may also recall that passage where the clarinet repeats fourteen times in a row a small one-bar snippet of a phrase at the same time as the violins, with strong downbow strokes, play an augmentation of the original theme. This is startlingly original, novel, and fantastic.
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| The pearl of the symphony, though, is the ''Scherzo'': here Mr [[Korsakov]]'s talent manifests itself in all its power, without being hampered by pernicious reflection or the deliberate chasing after two rabbits at the same time. The original 5/4 rhythm, on which the overall effect of this movement of the works is based, constantly has to tussle with rhythms of an opposite character, and the result of this simultaneous combination of iambi, trochees, dactyls, and anapaests is something quite unprecedented in terms of the charm and poignancy of the contrasts it gives rise to. If in addition to this we also take into account Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s extraordinary mastery of instrumentation, the fluency and roundedness of the harmonic contours of his music, then the upshot of it all is a remarkably delightful and original work.
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| In the following movements, however, all we find are the traces of diligent, clean, and painstakingly assiduous technical work. Both the ''Andante'' and especially the ''Finale'', in which the author sought to merge into one all the main themes of his symphony, are marred by dryness, icy coldness, and in some places over-salting, if one may put it that way—I mean that there is an accumulation of sharp effects which fuse into a vague mass of sounds that actually express nothing at all.
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| The first three movements of the symphony were performed splendidly. In the ''Finale'' the concluding ''stretta'' didn't work out because some of the players got into a muddle, and so the orchestra was forced to somehow grope its way towards the final chords. All the same, we cannot but be grateful to [[Nikolay Rubinstein|Mr Rubinstein]] for having acquainted us with a new Russian symphony in which, alongside a great deal of fine merits, some significant flaws do make themselves felt, too, even though the sole reason for these is after all just Mr [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s excessive love for finely polishing details to the detriment of the work's overall effect.
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| The soloist at this concert was Mr Klimov <ref name="note10"/>, a pianist who has already made some successful appearances on the concert podiums of [[Saint Petersburg]]. He played for us the famous D minor concerto by [[A. Rubinstein]] and some shorter pieces by [[Chopin]] and Tausig <ref name="note11"/>. Mr Klimov is endowed with a considerable number of negative virtues <ref name="note12"/>, but he does not in any way rise above the level of golden mediocrity. His technique, moreover, lacks the requisite precision.
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| ===The Second Quartet Series===
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| I have not said anything yet about the Russian Musical Society's second quartet series, which has the added interest that instead of Mr [[Laub]] <ref name="note13"/> our city's string quartet is now being led by Mr [[Hřímalý]] <ref name="note14"/>, who achieved such a brilliant success at the second symphony concert. Although the [[Moscow]] Quartet has suffered an irreplaceable loss with Mr [[Laub]]'s departure, it may on the other hand be benefiting now from a greater evenness between the relative strengths of each of the four players.
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| Mr [[Laub]]'s absence has acted as a splendid incentive for these musicians to seek to compensate as far as possible the audiences that attend chamber music concerts for the loss of that sublime aesthetic pleasure which the latter derived from Mr [[Laub]]'s incomparable playing by treating them to impeccable ensemble performances. And one really must credit Messrs [[Hřímalý]], [[Brodsky]], Gerber <ref name="note15"/>, and [[Fitzenhagen]] for the profound artistic conscientiousness with which they have set about their task. The fiendishly difficult C-sharp minor quartet by [[Beethoven]], a real stumbling-block for any quartet ensemble, was played by them with great spirit, fine attention to detail, and technical skill—one couldn't have wished for a better performance. At the most recent concert Madame Muromtseva's <ref name="note16"/> participation resulted in a magnificent performance of [[Schumann]]'s Piano Quartet.
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| ===The Italian Opera===
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| To conclude, just a few words about the Italian Opera.
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| O generous, selfless, and disinterested merchants! You who are carrying out musico-commercial speculations on the stage of our Bolshoi Theatre! How shall I convey to you in the name of all of [[Moscow]]'s music-lovers our profound gratitude for the artistry with which you announce benefit performances that have to be cancelled because of disastrous ticket sales, or concerts in which Madame Marimon gets to sing in front of yawning box office clerks and ushers with their families!
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| How shall I express to you the enthusiasm we feel when we see the dogged perseverance with which you stick to your system of plaguing the ears of our music-lovers—a system whereby, contrary to all logic, you organise more and more benefit performances and concerts the less these are actually attended by people! Pray carry on plaguing the ears of us Muscovites! This will unfailingly make you go bankrupt soon—a result which may perhaps surprise, but will certainly not cause grief to all those who love and care about our native art! Anyway, currently things are rather slack <ref name="note17"/> with Madame Marimon, very slack indeed!
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| {{right|''P. Tchaikovsky''.}}
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| ==Notes and References==
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| <references>
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| <ref name="note1">Entitled 'Fifth Symphony Concert. Second Quartet Series. The Italian Opera' in [[TH]], and 'The Fifth Symphonic Assembly—The Second Quartet Series—The Italian Opera' in [[ČW]].</ref>
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| <ref name="note2">Emilio Naudin (1823–1890), Italian tenor of French origins, whom Tchaikovsky admired greatly — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note3">It is not clear which works by Rousseau Tchaikovsky was familiar with at the time—almost certainly ''Julie, ou la nouvelle Héloïse''—but we can say for sure that he had not yet read the famous ''Confessions'', because four years later, on 28 February/12 March 1879, he would write to his brother [[Anatoly]] from [[Paris]]: "I am now reading, for the first time in my life, Rousseau's ''Les Confessions''. Oh, what an incomparable book this is! There are passages in it which simply astonish me. He states things that are so incredibly clear to me, and about which I have never spoken with anyone, because I was unable to express them, and now suddenly I find them expressed fully in Rousseau!!" (letter 1130) — ''translator's note''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note4">See [[TH 285]], where Tchaikovsky discusses ''Harold en Italie'' in detail.</ref>
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| <ref name="note5">The ellipses […] showing omissions from [[Berlioz]]'s original text were not included by Tchaikovsky in his review, but have been indicated here following the presentation style of Ernst Kuhn's German edition of Tchaikovsky's articles—{{bib|2000/42|P. Tschaikowsky: Musikalische Essays und Erinnerungen}} (2000). It should also be noted that Tchaikovsky does not always quote word for word from the original. English-speaking readers are referred to chapter 54 in David Cairn's excellent translation: {{und|The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz}} (London: Panther Books, 1970) or to the relevant extracts in an online translation by Michel Austin [http://www.hberlioz.com/Scores/damnation.htm] — ''translator's note''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note6">See [[TH 300]].</ref>
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| <ref name="note7">[[Rimsky-Korsakov]] worked on his Third Symphony from 1866 to 1873, but revised it again in 1886 — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note8">See also [[TH 257]], where Tchaikovsky discusses [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s First Symphony (1865) and comments on its novel "purely Russian harmonic patterns", but at the same time points out how it unsuccessfully tried to adapt itself to the German classical model.</ref>
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| <ref name="note9">Tchaikovsky uses the word «филистер», which if translated directly as "Philistine" into English would have far too negative connotations (i.e. of ignorance and insensitivity to art) that Tchaikovsky obviously does not have in mind here. The Russian word is in fact closer in meaning to its German source: "Philister", where ever since the Romantic period (especially in the works of [[E. T. A. Hoffmann]]) it has been used to affectionately mock the worthy, law-abiding burghers of small provincial towns. Despite his criticisms, Tchaikovsky is definitely using the word in this jesting but essentially affectionate sense — ''translator's note''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note10">Dmitry Dmitriyevich Klimov (1851–1917), Russian pianist, piano teacher, and conductor; taught at [[Odessa]] from 1887 where he became director of the city's musical college (which became the [[Odessa]] Conservatory in 1913) — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note11">Carl Tausig (1841–1871), Polish pianist and composer, studied with [[Liszt]] — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note12">i.e. in the sense that he is free from many of the usual defects in pianists — ''translator's note''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note13">The notable Czech violinist and teacher [[Ferdinand Laub]] (1832–1875), whom Tchaikovsky admired greatly, had been forced by illness to retire from his teaching duties at the [[Moscow]] Conservatory in 1874. After an unsuccessful course of treatment at Karlsbad he travelled to the spa of Merano, but died on the way there in March 1875, just two months after Tchaikovsky wrote this article. The composer would later dedicate his [[String Quartet No. 3]] to [[Laub]]'s memory — ''translator's note''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note14">See [[TH 296]] for Tchaikovsky's review of [[Jan Hřímalý]]'s outstanding performance of a famous virtuoso concerto by Viotti.</ref>
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| <ref name="note15">Yuly Gustavovich Gerber (1831–1883), Russian violinist, violist, composer and conductor of ballet music — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note16">Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Muromtseva (1848–1909), Russian pianist, studied with [[Nikolay Rubinstein]] — ''note by Ernst Kuhn''.</ref>
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| <ref name="note17">See the opening paragraphs of [[TH 298]] for Tchaikovsky's ironical explanation as to why he had decided to use terms drawn from the jargon of the stock-exchange whenever referring to the Italian Opera.</ref>
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| </references>
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| [[Category:Articles]]
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