Nikolay Lents
Russian lawyer and composer (b. 1858; d. 1914), born Nikolay Konstantinovich
Lents (Николай Константинович Ленц).
Lenz was introduced to Tchaikovsky by his teacher Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov in 1880,
and later went on to become the organizer of a music circle in Tver which
zealously rehearsed and performed Tchaikovsky's works
Alina Bryullova recalled in her
memoirs how during a train journey Lents once intervened to save Tchaikovsky
from the questions about music and his works with which an unwitting
fellow-passenger was plying the composer. She also noted how:
"This very Lents, together with my second husband [Vladimir Bryullov],
made a piano arrangement for 8 hands of Manfred—a work
which we were all terribly enthusiastic about, but which is very difficult
to play in the 4-hand transcription. Lents and his wife, and my husband
and I rehearsed this arrangement and played it to Tchaikovsky. He was so
pleased with it that he did not make a single correction and gave it to Jurgenson to be published. Lents
worshipped Pyotr Ilyich to such an extent that on the day which had been
appointed for playing through the arrangement, even though his wife felt
very ill, he told her categorically that she had to come with him, since
Pyotr Ilyich would be expecting them. So she went with her husband, played
her part very well, and the next day it turned out that she had measles" [1]
Tchaikovsky's works dedicated to Nikolay Lents:
Tchaikovsky's correspondence with Nikolay Lents:
- 3 letters from Tchaikovsky to Nikolay Lents have survived, dating from
1880 to 1893.
Notes:
- Alina Bryullova's
reminiscences of Tchaikovsky are included in
Воспоминания о П. И. Чайковском (1980), p.106–119 (108–109). The
arrangement of the
Manfred symphony for 2 pianos, 8 hands, by Nikolay Lents and
Vladimir Bryullov was published by Jurgenson
in 1895 [back]
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