I greatly enjoyed reading the articles, "Tchaikovsky's Winter Daydreams" and
"Unknown Tchaikovsky," and listening
to the MP3s of the First Symphony in its original incarnation. Although my
score for the First Symphony does include the original passages in the appendix, I would like to know
whether the score and parts for this version have ever been published in their
entirety. Also, has the original version of this symphony ever been performed
or recorded since the work was revised?
I am also curious as to whether there are any modern performances or recordings
of the original (small orchestra) version of the Overture in F, as well
as the composer's first thoughts on Vakula the Smith (before he
revised it as Cherevichki).
Thank you,
Nicolas Krusek
Vancouver, Canada
It's often fascinating to hear how a composer's conception of a work evolved
from his first thoughts, as is the case with the works you mentioned.
The original version of the Overture in F major has
been recorded twice—by the USSR Radio & TV Symphony Orchestra conducted
by Vladimir Fedoseev, and by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra under Veronika
Dudarova. The only complete recording of Vakula the Smith that I know
of was made by the BBC from a live performance conducted by Edward Downes
in 1988. This has never been issued commercially, but I understand it will
be rebroadcast during BBC Radio 3's Tchaikovsky Festival next Feburary,
which aims to play all Tchaikovsky's works, along with those of Stravinsky.
Details of the final schedule have yet to be released, but this is likely
to include a number of rareties—maybe even the original version of the Symphony No. 1. We will
be providing full details so that listeners worldwide can enjoy this week-long
event via the BBC's web-site (www.bbc.co.uk/radio3).
Brett Langston