Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13 "Winter Daydreams"
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
1866 | Full Orchestra
1866 | Full Orchestra
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II. Land of Desolation, Land of Mists
reh. F - 4 mm. after reh. G |
Skills & Techniques: Endurance, Loud Playing, Marcato Style
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Horn 1-2 (F)
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Berliner Philharmoniker (1979)
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Sinfónica de Galicia (2012)
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Composer & Composition Information
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
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Born on May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk in the Vyatka district of Russia, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was the son of a successful engineer. Pyotr and his brothers and sister received a sound education from their French governess. His parents sometimes took him to concerts, and after one such evening he complained that he could not fall asleep because of the music stuck in his head. He was devoted to his mother, and at age four he and his sister composed a song for her. Her death when he was fourteen was a huge blow to him.
Tchaikovsky attended law school in St. Petersburg, Russia, and, while studying law and government, he took music lessons, including some composing, from Gabriel Lomakin. Tchaikovsky graduated at the age of nineteen and took a job as a bureau clerk. He worked hard, but he hated the job; by this time he was totally absorbed by music. He soon met the Rubinstein brothers, Anton (1829–1894) and Nikolai (1835–1881), both of whom were composers. Anton was a pianist second only to Franz Liszt (1811–1886) in technical brilliance and fame. In 1862 Anton opened Russia's first conservatory (a school that focuses on teaching the fine arts), under the sponsorship of the Imperial Russian Music Society (IRMS), in St. Petersburg. Tchaikovsky was its first composition student. Tchaikovsky's early works were well made but not memorable. Anton Rubinstein was demanding and critical, and when Tchaikovsky graduated two years later he was still somewhat frightened by Anton's harshness. In 1866 Nikolai Rubinstein invited Tchaikovsky to Moscow, Russia, to live with him and serve as professor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory, which he had just established. Tchaikovsky's father was now in financial (money-related) trouble, and the composer had to support himself on his meager earnings from the conservatory. The musical poems Fatum and Romeo and Juliet that he wrote in 1869 were the first works to show the style he became famous for. Romeo and Juliet was redone with Mily Balakirev's (1837–1910) help in 1870 and again in 1879. The text & image are reprinted from Atlanta Symphony Orchestra where more information about the composer can be found. |
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Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13 "Winter Daydreams"
By March of 1866, the young professor embarked on a major project: his First Symphony, a milestone for any composer. He had composed about half-a-dozen shorter orchestral works thus far, only a couple of which had been performed, but felt ready to attempt something more ambitious. “No other work cost him such effort and suffering… Despite painstaking and arduous work, its composition was fraught with difficulty,” recalled his younger brother Modest.
Tchaikovsky became increasingly frustrated with his teaching responsibilities, which took time away from his composing. Thus, during his summer vacation, he joined his family at a small dacha outside St. Petersburg determined to make serious progress on his symphony. He worked late into the night, consuming numerous cigarettes, until he suffered a breakdown from exhaustion. He never composed after sundown again.
Before returning to Moscow, he showed his still unfinished score to some of his former professors at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, hoping they would agree to have it performed once it was finished. Unfortunately, they did not like his new work and offered many criticisms, most of which Tchaikovsky felt were unjustified. He would spend over a year more slaving over the symphony that refused to cooperate, and would make further revisions to it in 1874, some eight years after beginning it.
The text is written by & reprinted from the Houston Symphony where more information about the composition can be found.
Tchaikovsky became increasingly frustrated with his teaching responsibilities, which took time away from his composing. Thus, during his summer vacation, he joined his family at a small dacha outside St. Petersburg determined to make serious progress on his symphony. He worked late into the night, consuming numerous cigarettes, until he suffered a breakdown from exhaustion. He never composed after sundown again.
Before returning to Moscow, he showed his still unfinished score to some of his former professors at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, hoping they would agree to have it performed once it was finished. Unfortunately, they did not like his new work and offered many criticisms, most of which Tchaikovsky felt were unjustified. He would spend over a year more slaving over the symphony that refused to cooperate, and would make further revisions to it in 1874, some eight years after beginning it.
The text is written by & reprinted from the Houston Symphony where more information about the composition can be found.
Notable Performances/Recordings:
Boston Symphony Orchestra (2025)
Berliner Philharmoniker (2008)
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (2006)
London Symphony Orchestra (1997)
Boston Symphony Orchestra (2025)
Berliner Philharmoniker (2008)
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (2006)
London Symphony Orchestra (1997)