Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Franck, and Chabrier, part 1

National Educational radio presents one in a series of broadcasts of regular subscription

concerts especially selected from the archives of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

recorded by the 100 man organization and its permanent home the beautiful Henry an Edsel Ford

Auditorium located in Detroit riverfront Civic Center. The

programs in the series are being produced by the University of Michigan broadcasting service for national

educational radio underground in aid from the National Home Library Foundation. And

in cooperation with management and the orchestra Committee of the symphony and the Detroit

Federation of Musicians. Concerts in the series of 13 broadcasts

will be conducted by the young Swedish musician our permanent musical director and

conductor of the orchestra. Hall power a musical director and conductor from one thousand

fifty two to one thousand sixty two. Now conductor emeritus and

associate conductor. Ray is the conductor for today's concert

and he has chosen to present the Tchaikovsky Symphony Number Six in B minor at the party for the

first portion of the program. To be heard later in the broadcast of the

mice to sing a by Wagner. And this will be followed by the tone poem and psyche

by Frank. In conclusion Maestro paré will conduct the brilliant a

spun by.

No one would argue the Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony is his best known and most often played work

and few would dispute that it together with the Beethoven fifth is among the two or three all time

symphony favorites. Strange as it may seem but certainly not without parallel in the history of

music. The premier of the work in 1903 was not particularly successful.

In a letter to his nephew Vladimir Dhabi doff whom he loved with devotion and to whom he dedicated the party

takes him funny. Tchaikovsky wrote in February of 1893. I must tell

you how happy I am about my work. As you know I destroyed a symphony which I partly composed and

orchestrated in the autumn. I did wisely for it contained little that was really fine

and empty a pattern of Psalms without any inspiration. Just as I was

starting on my journey a visit to Paris in December 1892 the idea came to me for a

new symphony this time with a program but a program of the kind that remains an enigma to all.

Let them guess at who can the work will be intitled a program Symphony

Number 6. The program is penetrated by subjective sentiment. During

my journey while composing it in my mind I frequently shed tears.

Now I am home again I have settled down to sketch out the work and it goes with such ardor. And that in

less than four days I have completed the first movement while the remainder of the symphony is clearly outlined in my

head. There will be much that is novel as regards form in this work. For

instance the finale will not be a great Allegro but in adagio of considerable dimensions

you can imagine what joy I feel in the conviction that my day is not yet over and that I may still accomplish

much. Perhaps I may be mistaken but it doesn't seem likely.

Thus Tchaikovsky wrote to his nephew to whom he dedicated the work. Little did the

composer know how prophetic his words were to become the premier of the part it was on October

28 of 1893. Then there followed sudden illness and swift death on

November sext from Colorado. There are four movements to the

symphony The first is Allegro which at once creates a melancholy or eye which hangs over the whole work.

The second movement Allegro con Gretzky has a very simple kind of sketched out Allegro

motivic marks the third movement which develops into one gigantic March.

Then as the composer himself indicated the fourth movement adagio element also closes the

symphony in what one writer has called a mood of utter despair.

Today's broadcast by the Detroit Symphony from the Henry an Edsel Ford Auditorium in Detroit begins with a

performance of the Symphony Number Six in B minor Opus 72 by

Tchaikovsky conductor emeritus Paul Caray is now taking his place on the podium

for the opening work of this seven a concert by the symphony.

Yeah.

What.

The.

It will.

You're. You're.

You're.

Right.

It'll.

Yeah.

Sure.

Let. Her.

No.