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Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city of France, and the centre of its Île-de-France region. Tchaikovsky visited Paris more frequently than any other city outside Russia:

• 2/14 August–mid/late September 1861 — on his first trip to western Europe. "Life in Paris is extremely pleasant" [1].
• mid/late June–late July/early August 1868 — as part of his summer vacation. Here he orchestrated the overture to his new opera The Voevoda.
• late May/early June 1870 — spending three "pleasant" days, taking in "three theatres and many walks" [2].
• late December 1871/early January 1872 — spending just a day in Paris, on his way to Nice.
• 21 July/2 August–early/mid August 1873 — as part of his summer vacation.
• 3/15 January–10/22 January 1876 — travelling with Modest Tchaikovsky, he began work on the String Quartet No. 3.
• 27 June/9 July–29 July/10 August 1876 — staying at the Hôtel de Hollande, before travelling to the Bayreuth Festival.
• 1/13 November–3/15 November 1787 — returning to the Hôtel de Hollande, after leaving Clarens in Switzerland.
• 18/30 December 1878–28 December 1878/9 January 1879 — staying again at the Hôtel de Hollande, he paid frequent visits to the Comédie Française.
• 6/18 February–28 February/12 March 1879 — staying at the Hôtel Meurice on Rue Rivoli, he worked on the opera The Maid of Orleans, finishing the sketches completely on 22 February/5 March.
• 13/25 November–5/17 December 1879 — while at the Hôtel Meurice, he completed the sketches of his Piano Concerto No. 2.
• 28 February/11 March–2/14 March 1880 — meeting his old friend Nikolai Kondrat'ev.
• 13/25 March–21 March/2 April 1881 — attending the funeral of Nikolai Rubinstein (14/26 March). "I always valued Nikolai Grigor'evich highly as an artist, but not maintain (especially recently) an affection for the man. Now it goes without saying that everything is forgotten apart from his good side, which and that was far bigger than his weaknesses" [3].
• 2/14 January–11/23 May 1883 — the main purpose for Tchaikovsky's extended stay at the Hôtel Richepance was to care for his niece, Tat'iana Davydova, who gave birth to an illegitimate child, Georges-Léon, in Paris on 26 April/8 May. He also completed the orchestration of the opera Mazepa, and wrote the Coronation March and cantata Moscow.
• 9/21 February–29 February/12 March 1884 — to attend the christening of Georges-Léon at the Bicêtre Hospital (12/24 February).
• 23 November/5 December–5/12 December 1884 — writing five of the Six Romances (Op. 57).
• 15/27 May 1886–12/24 June 1886 — working on the opera The Enchantress.
• 4/16 June 1887 — visiting Félix Mackar and Anatolii Brandukov.
• 12/24 February–7/19 March 1888 — to rehearse and conduct three concerts of his own works (see below). He also attended numerous events held in his honour. "In Paris I found many glories, but little money" [4].
• 8/20 March–28 March/9 April 1889 — to attend the 20th Châtelet concert (19/31 March), conducted by Edouard Colonne, which included the Theme and Variations from Suite No. 3.
• 10/22 March–25 March/6 April 1891 — to rehearse and conduct a concert of his own works (see below).
• 3/15 April–4/16 April 1891 — visiting Paris from Rouen, Tchaikovsky learned of the death of his sister Aleksandra from a Russian newspaper.
• 9/21 January–19/31 January 1892 — working on the sextet Souvenir de Florence.
• 5/17 June–11/23 June 1892 — stopping on his way from Berlin to Vichy.
• 4/16–6/18 July 1892 — calling on his return from Vichy to Saint Petersburg.
• 22 December 1892/3 January 1893–24 December 1892/5 January 1893 — travelling from Montbéliard to Brussels.
• 2/14 June–6/18 June 1893 — returning from England, where he had received an honorary doctorate at Cambridge University.

Tchaikovsky's conducting engagements in Paris were as follows:

• 16/28 February 1888 — at the home of Marie Benardaky, with members of Edouard Colonne's orchestra, including two movements from the Serenade for String Orchestra, and the Andante Cantabile (soloist Anatolii Brandukov)
• 21 February/4 March 1888 — the 16th Châtelet concert, including the Serenade for String Orchestra, Andante Cantabile and Nocturne (soloist Anatolii Brandukov), the Concert Fantasia (soloist Louis Diémer) and the Theme and Variations from Suite No. 3
• 28 February/11 March 1888 — the 18th Châtelet concert, including the Theme and Variations from Suite No. 3, the Violin Concerto (soloist Martin-Pierre Marsik), Francesca da Rimini, Nocturne (soloist Anatolii Brandukov), and two movements from the Serenade for String Orchestra.
• 24 March/5 April 1891 — the 23rd Châtelet concert, including the Suite No. 3, Piano Concerto No. 2 (soloist Vasilii Sapel'nikov), Sérénade mélancolique (soloist Johann Wolf), the Andante Cantabile from String Quartet No. 1 (arranged for string orchestra), The Tempest, and the Slavonic March.

Notes:

1. Letter 59 to Il'ia Tchaikovsky, 12/24 August 1861 [back]
2. Letter 195 to Anatolii Tchaikovsky, 1/13 June 1870 [back]
3. Letter 1715 to Anatolii Tchaikovsky, 17/29 March 1880 [back]
4. Letter 3518 to Petr Jurgenson, 8/20 March 1888 [back]