Day 38
Tchaikovsky Hamlet fantasy overture
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
Vassily Sinaisky
When I was a student acknowledging that you liked Tchaikovsky, while not exactly illegal was certainly not something to shout about. Even now there is a certain amount of snobbery about his music. I’ll have not of that. Tchaikovsky’s music is glorious and should be enjoyed for what it is - supremely well crafted, exciting and lyrical. I’ve played most of the key works and conducted a couple of the symphonies. Ultimately though it is the ballets which I love more than anything else. I’ve shocked some of my musical friends by saying that I would gladly consign the whole of Brahms’ output to the scrap heap if it meant that I could retain the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. And I mean it!
I don’t recall hearing the Hamlet overture before. I thought that it was a good piece but not perhaps quite top notch Tchaikovsky. All of the familiar features were there and this music shows a strong kinship with the Manfred Symphony and the Romeo and Juliet overture. Perhaps in the end it lacks a really strong melody - there are a couple of tunes which start well bit don’t quite hit the spot. But even non-top-notch Tchaikovsky has much to commend it and I certainly enjoyed the listening experience.
There is still much to explore in Tchaikovsky , particularly the operas, of which I only know a few bits and pieces. Perhaps I will include one of them later in this project.
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