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The symphony requires maturity in a composer.
He expresses his own vision of life, his attitude to its major manifestations.
Usually a symphony is a summary of a composer's experience earned over
a substantial period of time.
If symphonies sometimes are composed by seven-year-old
children we can call them
'symphonies' only conditionally. In the best case, they can only
be a good imitation of a well-known pattern.
The
Fifth Symphony
by
Tchaikovsky
is the work of a mature master. His model for a symphony is quite
different from the original pattern of the founder of this genre - Franz
Joseph Haydn. At the same time there are basic, core ideas, which
stay unchanged regardless of any modifications.
The symphony is the most complex, profound, versatile
and philosophical genre. It commonly is represented by a symphonic
cycle and consists of four movements. The focus of each movement
is on a different side of the world-picture. Differences in the focus
enable movements to gravitate to each other forming unity, unlike similarity
which always separates things. When the duration of symphonies increased,
the necessity to keep the unity of the symphonic cycle again became real.
The first who established the idea of "leitmotif"
was Beethoven. "Leitmotif" is a recurring theme symbolizing
a character, object, or abstract idea. Romantic composers and Tchaikovsky,
in particular, used "leitmotifs" which thread through the entire
texture of a symphony, all its movements. "Leitmotifs"
appear in different tempi, orchestration, and register; they are displayed
in different clothes and circumstances. This is a way to explore
the potential of characters and develop them. "Leitmotifs"
bring a great deal of completion and unity to the symphonic cycle.
The form of sonata allegro, commonly used in
the first movement, is perfect to reflect a collision of opposite characters.
There are no symphonies without sonata allegro or its equivalent.
Without other movements the sonata allegro represents the genre of a symphonic
poem, largely exploited by many romantic composers starting with Liszt.
The content of sonata allegro can be the struggle of an individual with
his fate like in the case of Fifth Symphony by Tchaikovsky. It also
can only be a play of 'light and shade' expressed through the opposition
of Major and Minor or a principal tonality and its dominant. The
last is much easier to fulfill. That is why Haydn wrote 104 symphonies
and Tchaikovsky only 6. However the idea of symphony as a genre belongs
to Haydn.
The second movement of Haydn's symphonic model
has usually no inner conflicts and bears lyrical, philosophical character.
Andante Cantabile in the Fifth Symphony by Tchaikovsky is associated with
an immersion in his inward world of dreams and reflections. The horn
solo perfectly expresses the character. It is another side of the
world-picture, different from the first movement.
The third part is usually the sho rtest in the
symphonic cycle. This is the intermezzo, music between the first
two movements and the Finale, which at first look takes us away from the
mainstream of the symphony. As a matter of fact it b rings fresh
impressions of outward life and contributes to the entire world-picture
reflected in the symphony. A dance - Minuet in Haydn's symphonies
and Waltz in Tchaikovsky's Fifth - seems the most appropriate realization
of this idea.
Finale. It is a time to put everything
in balance, finish the 'topic' lines and bring them to denouement.
The Finale bears the function of exodus and therefore it is the right place
to develop musical material from previous movements. If in Haydn's
symphonies the content of the Finale usually is a joke - Scherzo - it every
time reminds me of a phrase: "What is our life? - A game!" -
Tchaikovsky's Finale brings the initial conflict, exposed in the first
movement, to the outcome. A Major strong-willed march gradually dominates
and overcomes the "leitmotif" of fate. Sometimes it sounds similar to Wagner
or late Scriabin predicting his Poem of Ecstasy. Sometimes it reminds us
of ancient tragedies with the abstract idea of Fate as a major character.
The Tempest, Tchaikovsky's early, op. 18, programme work, was created in 1873 after
Shakespeare's drama and was dedicated to Stasov, a Russian musicologist,
who gave the idea for the Tempest to Tchaikovsky. The genre was indicated
as "symphonic fantasy". In fact it is a symphonic poem,
a genre established by Liszt. The piece begins with a picture of
the calm sea. But Ariel, by order of Prospero, raises the tempest,
trying to sink the ship. The stormy element is skillfully reflected
in the music. You may hear the wind. The wonderful, lyric theme
of love between Miranda and Fernando is followed by a scherzo episode which
opposes images of the bright spirit Ariel and the dark monster Caliban.
The theme of love appears again in the conclusion.
The feature which differentiates Tchaikovsky's
music from music of all Russian fellow-composers of the 19th century
is, that everything he composed is extremely personal. He had a pure
romantic approach to everything - nature, his life and music.
Evgeni Svetlanov
(1928 - 2002) was born in Moscow. He studied piano with Maria
Gurvich, composition with Mikhail Gnessin and Yuri Shaporin and conducting
with Gauk. After graduating from the Gnessin Institute and Moscow Conservatory
he joined the staff of the Bolshoi as a principal conductor (1963 - 1965).
In 1965 he became a leader of the USSR Symphony Orchestra and was in this
position till 2000.
In 1979 Svetlanov received appointment as principal
guest conductor at the London
Symphony Orchestra and the last concert in his life was given in London
in 2002.
Svetlanov received numerous honors and awards:
1968 - People's Artist of the USSR; 1978 - the Order of Lenin; 1983 - Soviet
State Prize for Creative Achievements; 1998 - Order for Meritorious Services
to the Nation. He also was awarded the Paris Grand Prix for his recording
of the complete symphonies by Tchaikovsky.
Svetlanov's work at the position of principal
conductor of the USSR Symphony Orchestra from 1965 till 2000 resulted in
the performance and recording of almost the entire Russian symphonic repertoire.
©2003 Evgeni Kostitsyn
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
(1840 - 1893)
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
1. Andante. Allegro con anima - 14:58
2. Andante cantabile con alcuna licenza - 14:11
3. Valse. Allegro moderato - 5:45
4. Finale. Andante maestoso. Allegro vivace - 12:28
5.
The Tempest
Symphonic Fantasy to William Shakespeare's Drama, Op. 18 - 23:06
Total time - 70:42
The USSR Symphony Orchestra
Evgeni Svetlanov, conductor
cover painting "Poseidon's Sea Journey" by Ivan Aivazovsky
Design by Evgeni Kostitsyn