Geoffrey Simon/London Symphony Orchestra
This is the conductor of the original symphony. It took me hours to find this recording, both through searching on YouTube and researching recordings. But who is Simon? It turns out that he studied with several famous conductors, and one of them is Markevitch. I had first chosen Markevitch’s recording, and for the revised symphony I would stick with that choice.
I. Andante sostenuto – Allegro comodo (C minor)
Tchaikovsky rewrote the 1st movement and then destroyed the original. But it was saved from parts, and the original is gaining huge favor now. To me it is by far better, and I will not even listen to the revised version which I absolutely despise.
II. Andante marciale quasi Moderato, Andantino marziale, quasi moderato (Eb major)
III. Scherzo. – Allegro molto vivace (C minor) (C minor)
IV. Finale – Moderato assai – Allegro vivo (C major)
Total Time: 39:37
Instrumentation:
- piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons
- 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba
- timpani, cymbals, bass drum, tamtam (last movement only)
- strings
Nickname:
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17 was composed in 1872. Because Tchaikovsky used three Ukrainian folk songs in this symphony, it was nicknamed the “Little Russian”. Ukraine was at that time frequently called “Little Russia”.
Two 1st movements:
Tchaikovsky rewrote almost the whole first movement, so the two versions are like two completely different compositions.
Original:
I. Andante sostenuto – Allegro comodo (C minor): This is the the original 1st movement. A solo horn playing a Ukrainian variant of “Down by Mother Volga” sets the atmosphere for this movement, and that starts an introduction that lasts more than three minutes. That same theme comes back at the end.
Revised:
Andante sostenuto – Allegro vivo (C minor): This is the revised 1st movement. The beginning and end is the same. However, everything in between is almost totally different in the original and revised symphony. Tchaikovsky rewrote almost the whole thing, so the two versions are like two completely different compositions. Tempo indications of the 1st movement are different. The main theme of the revised version is much simpler. I view Tchaikovksy’s “improvements” as a kind of “dumbing down” caused by the negativity of those around him, but the revised edition is the one most of the world knows.
2nd movement:
This movement was originally a bridal march Tchaikovsky wrote for his unpublished opera Undine. He quotes the folk song “Spin, O My Spinner” in the central section. He did not rewrite this movement, so it is essentially the same in both versions.
3rd movement:
This is a scherzo and trio with a coda. In this movement he made a number of small changes. If you don’t know the music well, you probably will hear no difference.
4th movement:
In this movement there is not much difference in the earlier and later versions, but 146 measures are cut towards the end of the movement. I don’t agree with the cut, and since the whole symphony is under 40 minutes, there was never any reason for it.
A massive rewrite…
Tchaikovsky was not satisfied with the symphony. He revised the work extensively in 1879–80, substantially rewriting the opening movement and shortening the finale. As a result there are really two radically different 1st movements, with only the beginning and end the same. The first versions is called the original version, the 2nd the revised version.
Original Version (1872-73)
According his brother, Modest Tchaikovsky, the composer set about composition in June 1872 and orchestrated it in September 1872. In November of the same year he wrote to his brother, Modest:
“I think this is my best creation, in terms of perfection of form — a quality which I’ve hitherto failed to achieve.”
He was totally absorbed in his symphonic work:
In December 1872, the composer wrote to Ilya Tchaikovsky, his father:
“I’ve been slaving over my new symphony, which is now, thank God, finished… Having finished the symphony, I’m now resting.”
Following the first performance early in 1873, Tchaikovsky made some alterations to the Symphony, and I think we can assume it was finished at that point.
Revised Version (1879-80)…
In 1879 something caused Tchaikovsky to turn against his own music
“I am engaged in reviewing the symphony, and have found parts of it to be so poor that I have made up my mind to rewrite the first and third movements, to alter the second, and just to shorten the last. And so if all goes well in Rome, I should turn this immature and mediocre symphony into a good one.”
This revision is mostly what the world knows today, but today we don’t agree with the composer.
Why the original got destroyed:
We need to ask why he soured on his own music. First of all, he was trapped between two warring factions, one of which was very traditional and backward-looking while the other was nationalistic and opposed to tradition. Both groups were rather fanatical, and both attacked Tchaikovsky’s music at various time but for totally opposite reasons. He was subject to extreme depression his entire life, so he was easily discouraged. He hardly needed any help in getting down on himself, and his rejection of his earlier work could not have only been his own thinking.
Bad first performances often ruin the perception of the worth of a work…
There is also the matter of performance, and his original version is harder to play. It is easy to imagine that it gave players of that time difficulties, so his rewriting was no doubt practical. Today any difficulties are no problem at all for modern players.
He wrote to his close friend, Sergey Taneyev:
“If anything deserves the epithet impossible, then it’s this first movement in its original form. My God, it’s so difficult, noisy, disjointed and confused!”
He destroyed his original score:
He was dead wrong about his own music, but it lead to this awful decision in September 1880:
“The Second Symphony can only be performed in its new form, as I have destroyed the old score.”
His original work was saved:
Fortunately, the full score was later reconstructed from the parts, which were kept in the library of the Russian Musical Society.
After Tchaikovsky’s death in 1893 the original version of the Symphony was reconstructed by Ivan Shorning from the surviving orchestral parts, and it was performed in this form at a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow on 6/18 January 1896.
Sergey Taneyev was right, and the rest of the world was wrong…
The conductor on this occasion was Sergey Taneyev, who much preferred the earlier version and what he wrote is almost precisely what I believe, although those “rambling modulations” by today’s standards are not rambling at all:
“I’ve been looking over the two scores — the new, printed by Bessel, and the former, compiled from the orchestral parts. My God, what a difference! How good the former Allegro is, despite some imperfections — rambling modulations which it would be better off without, but a beautiful first theme, and a melodious, graceful second. How weak by comparison this new allegro is! A poor first theme comprising many repetitions of a three-note motif: an even less interesting second theme worked in as counter-melody to part of the original first theme; a little bit of the original allegro artificially stuck into the new one in order to preserve fragments of the original development section; all this is manufactured without any definite scheme… The finale, with the exception of one large cut, remains in its earlier form.”
He dumbed down his music to satisfy critics and toxic friends.
In other words, Tchaikovksy’s “improvements” for the most part were just the opposite. He dumbed-down his music, somehow assuming a simpler 1st movement would be more popular with the masses.
Recordings of the original version are rare…
One of them, the one I’m highlighting here, is in all ways a fantastic recording, and the interpretation is, if anything, even better, and thanks to my friend, Louie, we now have the CD. It is now a prized possession.
I listened and the sound was very nice