Letter 3969
| Date | 4/16 November 1889 |
|---|---|
| Addressed to | Herman Laroche and Yekaterina Laroche |
| Where written | Saint Petersburg |
| Language | Russian/French |
| Autograph Location | unknown |
| Publication | П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений, том XV-А (1976), p. 208 |
| Notes | Photocopy in Klin (Russia): Tchaikovsky State Memorial Musical Museum-Reserve |
Text and Translation
| Russian and French text (original) |
English translation By Brett Langston |
4 Nov[embre] [18]89 Pour qui ai-je acheté une livre de caviar? Pour faire plaisir à quel cochon la vielle Appollinaire а t'elle couru chez le charcutier? Pour quelle Polonaise de mauvais goût (car il faut en avoir beaucoup pour avoir choisi M[onsieu]r Laroche) me suis — je approvisionne de bombons et de dragées? Et la grosse Antonine est ce qu'elle ne sue pas depuis ce matin pour confectionner un Kournik digne de Vos éloges? Мерзавец! А впрочем, Бог с Вами, сидите и пишите. В концерт бы пришли сегодня вечером хоть к концу! Будет ужин с Антоном. Не знаю, когда Вас увижу, — дела пропасть, устал как собака. Ваш, П. Чайковский |
4 November 1889 For whom did I buy a pound of caviar? For the pleasure of which swine did old Appollinaire [1] scurry out to the butcher's? For what Polish woman of poor taste (because you must have a great deal of it to have chosen Monsieur Laroche) have I stocked up with sweets and sugared almonds? And why has big Antonina [2] been slaving since this morning to concoct a Kournik [3] worthy of your praise? Scoundrels! Still, God be with you, as you sit and write. You could at least have come for the end of the concert tonight [4]. There's going to be a supper with Anton. I don't know when I'll see you — I have a pile of things to do, and I'm as tired as a dog. Yours. P. Tchaikovsky |
Notes and References
- ↑ Apollinariya Skvortsova, grandmother of the composer's friend Nikolay Konradi.
- ↑ Nikolay Konradi's cook.
- ↑ A dome-shaped pie baked for special occasions, interlaced with thin pancakes and typically stuffed with chicken, mushrooms or rice.
- ↑ The second RMS symphony concert in Saint Petersburg, conducted by Leopold Auer, and featuring works by Borodin, Chopin, Svendsen, Schumann, Dreyshock and Wagner.
