Tchaikovsky and America: A mutual fascination | EUROtoday

In November Denis von Meck, a descendant of the nice composer, got here to UN Headquarters to speak about Tchaikovsky’s relationship with the United States, and his essential function in guaranteeing the success of New York’s iconic Carnegie Hall.

Denis von Meck In the late nineteenth century New York lacked good high quality venues for music performances, so a bunch of music lovers eager to see a brand new live performance corridor within the metropolis turned to Andrew Carnegie, a well known patron of the humanities on the time.

Carnegie was extra taken with literature and constructing libraries, however his spouse was a music lover. Through her, they succeeded in fascinating him within the concept of funding what grew to become Carnegie Hall.

However, it was a dangerous enterprise: the Hall was removed from town centre in downtown New York, and the roads had been poor. There had been fears that few folks would wish to make the journey, so it was determined to ask Tchaikovsky, essentially the most well-known musician on this planet, to attend a five-day competition, at which he would conduct.

UN News: How did Tchaikovsky come to be so well-known within the US?

Denis von Meck: When Tchaikovsky composed his First Piano Concerto in 1875, he devoted it to Nikolai Rubinstein, his director on the Moscow Conservatory and an impressive pianist. However, Rubinstein demanded adjustments and, when Tchaikovsky declined, refused to carry out it.

Tchaikovsky turned to a number of musicians to carry out the concerto, together with Hans von Bülow, the German conductor and pianist, who agreed. The first efficiency befell in Boston, and the second in New York.

Walter Damrosch, one of many main German conductors and musicians of the time, heard it in New York and requested Tchaikovsky for extra music. As a outcome, his works grew to become extensively circulated, and he grew to become extraordinarily widespread within the US, much more so than in Europe and, maybe, much more than in Russia.

This success was a really nice shock for Tchaikovsky, who left America with many nice recollections, and constructive phrases in regards to the nation.

UN News: If you have a look at the Wikipedia article about Tchaikovsky in English, there’s an audio recording from 1890, which is believed to comprise his voice. As an professional on the composer, do you assume that is genuine?

Denis von Meck: Yes, it’s real. It was made on the finish of his life, within the early days of sound recordings, and it’s also accessible on YouTube. Researchers at Tchaikovsky Museum in Klin had been capable of absolutely decipher the phrases, and in addition determine all the members.