jmc's classics
Today is the anniversary of the premier of Tchaikovsky's String Serenade (Opus#48) which took place in 1881 in St. Petersburg Russia with conductor Edouard Napravnik conducting. I associate it with Brahms Symphony#4 (Opus#98) Which premiered on October 25 in 1885. both Are among my favorite pieces. Both Brahms and Tchaikovsky have the same birthday: May Seventh. Brahms in 1833 and Tchaikovsky in 1840. They are to of the most popular composers of the 19th century. Brahms wrote two serenades for full orchestra. Opuses 11 and 16 both are popular today. There are several other famous String Serenades mainly that of Dvorak which I have a connection with Schubert's Fifth Symphony and the String Serenade of Elgar (OPus#20). Many times I attend a symphony concert, I do not see much connection between the works on the program. It baffles me.
Tchaikovsky's Serenade is divided in to four movements: Pezzo, Walzer, Elegie and the finale(Tema Russo). It has themes from Mozart who Tchaikovsky idolized. It was dedicated to Constantine Albrecht who was a boyhood friend of Tchaikovsky. In my opinion, The string Serenade sounds similar to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. The opening themes pays tribute to Schumann who at that time was appreciated by many of the many of the Russian musical elite. Schumann was also a friend and mentor to Brahms. The third and fourth movements have a Slavic theme. The Slavs include the Russians, and Ukrainians as well as Poles, Serbs Czech and a few other ethnic groups. The Serenade lasts a little over a half hour. There are many good recordings of this work. The one which I have features the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra with Guennadi Rojdestvensky conducting. It is on the Erato label. It also features Tchaikovsky's March Slave and Francesca Da Rimini. The USSR does not exist any more. Even in the Soviet Union, Tchaikovsky was appreciated and very popular. He was Stalin's favorite composer. Stalin was actually from Georgia. The country not the State. The Republic of Georgia is an ancient country and one of the first to make Christianity the official religion.
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