Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32 (with Score)
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky:
Francesca da Rimini, symphonic fantasy for orchestra in E minor, Op. 32, TH 46, ČW 43 (with Score)
Composed: 1876
Conductor: Mikhail Pletnev
Orchestra: Russian National Orchestra
00:00 Andante lugubre
04:28 Allegro vivo
09:39 Andante cantabile non troppo
20:06 Allegro vivo
In 1876, Tchaikovsky was persuaded by a literary critic and friend from his conservatory days, Hermann Laroche, to write an opera based on a tale in Dante's Divine Comedy about Paolo and Francesca of Rimini. The story intrigued Tchaikovsky: Francesca and Paolo are lost souls in hell, owing to their adulterous affair (which was an actual historical event). The affair grew out of the latter's efforts to secure Francesca's hand in marriage, not for himself but for his unattractive hunchback brother, Gianciotto, who, after his marriage to Francesca, catches the pair in lovemaking and has them executed. Francesca narrates the circumstances of their painful afterlife in Dante's poetic account.
Plans for the opera fell through, however, and Tchaikovsky, at the behest of his brother Modest, wrote this symphonic fantasy inspired by the story. The dark opening, marked Andante lugubre, depicts the mood and scenery at the doorway to Hell, above which an inscription reads, "Abandon all hope, you who enter here." Tchaikovsky brilliantly captures the sounds and imagery associated with the whirlwind that carries lost souls, including Francesca and Paolo. The music here is agitated, with the strings swirling angrily and a sense of desperation permeating the awful feeling of ineluctable descent. The Allegro vivo marking here may well be a deliberately ironic choice by the composer, for the vivo derivatives of "spirited" and "lively" are hardly appropriate to this frenzied grimness.
After this section is presented a second time, Tchaikovsky introduces a tranquil but yearning love theme on clarinet. Why is such a lovely melody emerging from these hellish environs? Francesca's first words in her narration are, "There is no greater pain than happiness recalled in a time of misery." The strings take up the beautiful melody and the mood of sweet regret almost makes the listener forget the dark character of the preceding section.
Eventually the whirlwind music from the opening returns to depict the lovers being swept up again, perpetuating their chastisement of seeing but never communicating or touching each other. The music ends in dramatic fashion, as ten emphatic chords, punctuated by the crashing gong, bring the work to rousing, chilling conclusion. (www.allmusic.com/composition/...) - Hudba
Absolutely a masterwork of Tchaikovsky's (my favourite along with Souvenirs de Florence and the first piano trio), only faulted by the fact that I cannot remember a single theme from it.
Tchaikovsky only wrote one Piano Trio.
First time I listened to this, how did I manage to miss this !
When WCLV Cleveland classical radio less often played piece
Very passionate performance. Romeo and Juliet is so inordinately famous, that most forget Tchaikovsky paid homage to Dante, too. In my youth, I liked this work more than R&J. But now, I like both. Thank you for score/music.
‘I give this a 10 out of ten. Tchaikovsky the composer has been delft with love, passion drama, revenge in his symphonic poems, like Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture, and Francesca, that said beyond its complexity of orchestration. I would popularize this massive hit as well-being Romeo and Juliet already a smash hit, the best piece of all symphonic history The piece in my opinion should be an influences on future composers like me. Although not good as it sounds for the musicians performing it. The moody brooding moments like the circles of hell in the first few sections as well as the shrieking woodwinds in the second circle when the tempo picks up, these first few minutes should depicts a raging storm. In my perspective in the opening section of Francesca, when Dante walks through the somber woods with the opening chords by the woodwinds and brass. In before the chords at the very beginning with that tam-tam swell. Representing my only inner vision of something descending like a lightning crash or the anguished fear of death. And in the the first two sections into the first circle as the atmosphere dominated by rolling thunder with timpani and bass drums as well as a lisztian and Wagnerian crescendo and in the second section when the tempo pick up. And as well as the end with the as the full tutti in the orchestra. That tutti ending also by an apocalyptic thunderstorm of some sort volcanic eruptions and explosions. These sections in Francesca da rimini is an great example to illustrate horror and villainy. Besides Bach being conflicted between Heaven and hell in his organ works, pacifically the toccata and fugue in D minor bwv 565, as Bach roughly being doing something on purpose what was wrong, and his cantatas and other religious works. Unlike Bach. As composers should fit the mold as opposing with Beethoven in his 5th symphony with its four notes, and Wagner’s ring cycle. with this sister piece by Tchaikovsky, Francesca da rimini should be the greatest pieces in all of music history. I admire the opening and closing sections as a hallmark of Tchaikovsky’s genius. These sections of the piece can be free to used in the field of future projects, such as a sense of fear or dread. Like in movies, commercials., cartoons, especially Halloween episodes. From that less than ideal first performance in 1877, and despite the love music in between. This should remain as a go to soundtrack work in all of history”
Kevin Herbert
I seem to recall that i may have played this once in the symphony orchestra I was part of for 25 years. But i left them 17 years ago any my aging memory is not what it was
This work fits perfectly my own dictum that if you cannot play music like the saved play it like the DAMNED
the trouble is am a New Zealander even though I never fitted in to my homeland or its culture
for we kiwis as musicians are incapable of playing either like the saved or the damned
It's rare to hear the diminuendo played on the tympani's last note.
It's an interesting dynamic marking for sure, sparks debate amongst conductors i'm sure
Thanks for posting and sharing this!! Probably my favorite Tchaikovsky work that isn’t the 4th, 5th, or 6th symphony, or any of the great ballets! Does anyone know if Tchaikovsky had any exposure to the Liszt tone poems? Very similar gestures from them both.
The structure is so completely similar to the opening movement of the Dante Symphony (they even depict the same things) that I would be very surprised if he didn't know the work.
my favorite part was 0:00 to 23:58 😍
😍😍❤️
Expo Fortuna:
0:05 - 0:12 y 0:43 - 0:55 [A]
1:45 - 1:55 [B] y 2:58 - 3:08
4:45 - 4:53 [C] 5:42 - 5:57 y 6:27 - 6:37
9:39 - 10:31 y 17:41 - 17:54 [D]
23:30-23:58
(this is for a musical analysis btw )
What sick creatures we Romantics are!!. WE will walk up to the edge of the abyss to gaze into Hell itself and have no regard for the madness such intensity engenders, or even boast in it vainly thinking it will fill the desperate emptiness of one's life.
I say "we" as I am as romantic as poor Tchaikovsky himself , and artistic portrayals of Hell, which i take to be a literal reality, fascinate me.
and so my own intensity inflames along with the pain and exhaustion that always accompany it; and of course i will listen to this piece to the bitter end
However though i claim a romanticism much like that of poor dear Ilyich i never claimed his musical talent
Delusional there's nothing wrong with this recording what's so ever
FRANCIS DI RIMMINI The greatest Russian composer
The worst performance choice. Disappointing. You could've picked Stokowski, Bernstein, Markevitch or Svetlanov
Try Pletnev's Beethoven symphony cycle: it's even worse than this.