Mother Russia presented the world with many famous composers whose works are played in concert halls around the world.
Both old and young, even in our time, gadgets and techno music have heard the name of Pyotr Tchaikovsky - a real genius of domestic operas. Over the past 53 years, he left a legacy of more than 80 beautiful melodies, including 10 operas and 3 ballets, known throughout the world.
Did you know that for the sake of his calling and talent Pyotr Ilyich quit his job at the Ministry of Justice? Neither ranks, nor titles, nor respectable royalties seduced him, since the soul strove to find its reflection in music.
Relatives of the future composer did not understand his act, because at that time only a madman could refuse jurisprudence for the benefit of music. And how wonderful that Tchaikovsky still decided on this desperate step, making the most important choice in his life.
And today we recall his works with goosebumps, and sometimes tears in his eyes. Let's get acquainted with the history and our list of the 10 most famous compositions of Tchaikovsky.
10. Iolanthe
This opera was the last on the track record of the composer, so it can be considered a real anthem of life.
The work tells about the young queen «Iolante »who doesn’t even know that she’s blind, since no one in the palace tells her the cruel truth. A Moorish doctor tells the girl that insight is possible if she wants it badly.
And somehow, a knight accidentally wanders into the palace, confessing his love to the heroine. As a keepsake, he asks the girl for a red rose, but she gives him a white one, thereby showing her vice in love.
But the knight performs a beautiful hymn to life and light, full of love, which angers the king. Iolanthe really wants to protect his beloved from death, seeks to see clearly - and a miracle happens. A happy father blesses the queen for marriage with a knight who together glorify light and life.
9. The Queen of Spades
The Queen of Spades - Tchaikovsky wrote this opera on order for the administration of the Imperial Theater, whose representatives turned to him in 1887. The plot was proposed by screenwriter Ivan Vsevolozhsky, who, in turn, borrowed it from the story of Alexander Pushkin.
Initially, the composer refused to take on this order, as he did not see enough stage play in the text. However, after 2 years he changed his mind and enthusiastically began to write beautiful opera music.
After the premiere in Russia, the work was borrowed in the repertoires of the American and European countries, and the words were translated into Czech and German.
8. Eugene Onegin
And the order for the famous opera «Eugene Onegin" Pyotr Ilyich received from the famous singer Elizabeth Lavrovskaya in the spring of 1877. The woman wanted to get the musical embodiment of the Pushkin story. Tchaikovsky, deeply honoring the legacy of Alexander Sergeyevich, was fully involved in the work and created the melody all night in a row.
Also in his letter to his colleague S. Taneyev, the composer said that he wants to put a very strong and slightly intimate drama on the music, which could realize its internal conflicts, make it survive unique emotions. It is noteworthy that in the summer of that year, Tchaikovsky unexpectedly married everyone to his former student, who was eight years younger. The impulsive marriage broke up after a couple of weeks, which left its mark on the musical part of the opera.
7. Children's album
The famous collection of works «Children's album » contains 24 easy-to-play piano pieces that make it easy to start introducing children to the world of music. The composer took 3 months to create the album in 1878. Tchaikovsky dedicated his creation to his nephew Volodya Davydov.
A well-known analyst of the composer’s creativity reports that “Children's Album” can be safely added to the gold fund of not only domestic but also world music literature for the younger generation.
Almost a century later, an animation sketch was released at the Soyuzmultfilm studio, which was put on the music from the album. And two decades later, a ballet was staged, which became a laureate at the International Festival.
6. The Nutcracker
About beautiful ballet «Nutcracker" the whole world music community was booming and it would never tire of rattling. The combination of the great idea and the syllable of E. Theodore and the divine goosebumps music of Tchaikovsky makes ballet the crown of the cultural heritage of recent eras.
And although with the beginning of the First World War and a change in political views, the plot of the ballet had to be Russified (up to names), but the music written by a domestic composer made it possible to preserve an amazing zest. What does a wonderful “Waltz of the Flowers” or “Dance of the Dragee Fairy” cost?
5. Snow Maiden
The composer respected the work of Russian poets and prose writers, so with pleasure he began to write the melody «Snow Maiden to the play staged based on the works of Ostrovsky.
At the time of the creation of the composition, Pyotr Ilyich was genuinely fascinated by folk art and folklore, which was expressed in his collection of 50 Russian folk songs that can be played on the piano four hands.
This collection also included the beautiful work “The Snow Maiden”, which preserved musical fragments from the failed opera of Tchaikovsky's “Ondine”.
4. Slavic march
Powerful historical work order «Slavic march " entered the composer from the directorate of the Russian Musical Community. The latter wanted to devote a melody to the battle of the Slavic peoples of the Balkan region against the Ottoman enemy (events of the Russian-Turkish war).
Tchaikovsky called his work "Serbo-Russian March", but later it was renamed. In the work you can hear musical notes characteristic of Serbian folk music, as well as fragments of the famous theme “God Save the Tsar!”
And if you think that this serious historical work is irrelevant for the present, then you are mistaken. For example, in 1985, the famous band Accept, performing "heavy metal", took the tune from the march to the beginning of the key song of its popular album.
3. Swan Lake
It was Tchaikovsky who was entrusted with the work on the cult ballet «Swan Lake"which does not lose relevance to this day.
The plot of the melody traces folk motifs, including impurities of German folklore. So, the story tells of Princess Odette, who the evil wizard turned into a white swan.
It is believed that the composer wrote the melody after a trip to the alpine lake in the region of Füssen. It is noteworthy that since 1877 the score of the performance, as well as its libretto, underwent changes.
2. Sleeping Beauty
Once the plot of the genius Charles Perrault tried to put on music composer Herold. But after the sensational premiere of the version of Pyotr Ilyich in collaboration with Marius Petipa «Sleeping Beauty" was recognized as the best and was included in the rating of the most iconic masterpieces of world ballet art.
Of course, modern choreographers create new and new versions of the musical score, but they all do not lose the main base laid down by the domestic composer.
1. Seasons
It is known that the world composer A. Vivaldi once worked on a similar idea. However, Pyotr Ilyich decided to add zest to his cycle "Seasons", dividing it not into 4 generally recognized seasons, but by 12 months. At the same time, a personally selected epigraph from classical poetry was devoted to each of them.
The plays not only correspond to the months of the year and have original names (for example, “February: Shrovetide”), but also clearly convey their mood and emotions.
Isn't that a great selection? I immediately wanted to refresh the best works in my memory, because they help to get rid of unnecessary thoughts from my head and tune in to creativity and productive thoughts.