Ceaikovski suita IV Mozartiana op 61 II-Menuett

Menuett , part II Conductor: Romeo Rimbu Ploiesti Philharmonia Orchestra Suite No. 4 in G major, Op. 61 Mozartiana Arrangements of four pieces by W. A. Mozart The suite No. 4 in G major, Op. 61, dates from June/July 1887. Tchaikovsky wrote it while staying in a spa resort, upon the completion of The Sorceress, and concurrently with the Fifth symphony. The work´s succesful premiére took place in Moscow, on 14 November, 1887, with the composer conducting. The creative design underlying this piece was quite unique: Tchaikovsky chose several Mozart miniatures, and without suppressing the essence of his own late Romantic mentality or the characteristic traits of his mature musical idiom (e.g., the instrumentation), delivered original and updated transcriptions of the earlier works. The first edition of the score carries Tchaikovsky´s own humble and admiring introduction: "For reasons that are beyond my understanding, a great many most accomplished compositions by Mozart have reamained unknown not only to the general public but indeed, to the majority of musicians. The purpose of the present suite, titled Mozartiana, has been to provide an impetus to more frequent productions of these gems of musical creativity that may be formally inconspicuous yet are full of incomparable beauty." This last of Tchaikovsky´s suites therefore represents above all his tribute to Mozart, since childhood his dearly beloved composer as well as a source of consolation and reconciliation in times of tortuous agitation of mind, and a lifelong artistic model. "It is Mozart that I am indebted for having devoted my life to music. It was he who gave the impulse to my creativity and who made me love music beyond anything else." The first part of the Fourth Suite is an airy fast Jig (shaped after Mozart´s Leipzig Gigue in G major for piano, K. 574), while retaining the genre format of the Baroque Scottish dance, Tchaikovsky´s treatment fills it - especially in harmonic terms - with Romantic musical feeling. An entirely unusual atmosphere, with an underlying dolorous tone, prevails in the vacilating and at the same time noble Minuet, modelled on Mozart´s chromatic piano Minuet without Trio in D major, K. 335 (594a/576b). The lyrical third part of the Suite is titled "Prreghiera" (Prayer), here, clad in fine harmonic and instrumentational attire, is (Liszt´s transcription of) Mozart´s choral motet with strings and organ accompaniment, "Ave verum corpus", K.618. The Suite ends with ten virtuoso variations on the simple four-bar theme of Gluck´s tune, "Unser dummer Pobel meint", from the singspiel, Les Pélerins de la Mecque, which Mozart treated in his own Ten Variations for Piano in G major, K. 455. Some of instruments (e.g. the flute, the clarinet, and the violin) are embloyed in Tchaikovsky´s version with a bold concertante flair, without that being detrimental to the movement´s unity of style. One of the most charming variations is the sixth, composed as a cheerful conversation of the woodwind instruments. The eighth variation starts on a poetic description of Russian winter landscape with a galloping troika, only to be concluded rather unexpectedly, by a dramatic collision. This prepares the ground for a rather large Adagio of the ninth variation, with its soliloquy of the violin, a flowing fantasia reminiscent of Mozart´s ravishing violin concertos. The Allegro vivo of the tenth variation closes the whole piece in bright tones, although even here a touch of rhapsodic agitation is still present. In four movements: I. Gigue. Allegro (G major) [based on Mozart's 'Kleine Gigue' for piano, KV 574]. II. Menuet. Moderato (D major) [based on the Minuet for piano, KV 355]. III. Pregheira. Andante ma non tanto (B flat major) [based on F. Liszt's piano transcription of the 'Ave verum corpus', KV 618]. IV. Theme et variations. Allegro giusto (G major) [based on the piano variations on a theme by Gluck, KV 455]. Orchestrated June - July 1887. Scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, cymbals, glockenspiel, harp and strings. First performed in Moscow, 14/26 November 1887, conducted by Tchaikovsky.