Today’s Piano Ego is ‘The Sick Doll’ (my dearest Tchaikovsky).
This one is dedicated to Laura and her beautiful memories from childhood. Thank you for sharing them with me and make me fall in love with all the series regarding Tchaikovsky’s Doll. 
Enjoy!
Mai bine mai tîrziu decît niciodată. You know what I mean.
Happy birthday, Sister!
March it is for you!
Tchaikovsky – Les Saisons
Dedicated to Tchaikovsky…The amazing Rachmaninoff.
On 24 December 1874/5 January 1875, Tchaikovsky played the concerto to Nikolai Rubinstein and Nikolai Hubert. Recalling this occasion, the composer wrote to Nadezhda von Meck: “As I am not a pianist, it was essential for me to consult a virtuoso-specialist, so that he could point out to me anything that might prove to be technically difficult, awkward, ineffective, etc.”. Rubinstein gave a sharply critical evaluation of the concerto, and suggested a number of amendments to the author. Deeply insulted by such severe criticism, Tchaikovsky refused to alter the concerto, declaring that it would be published exactly as it stood, as indeed it was.
According to Nikolai Kashkin and Modest Tchaikovsky, it was Tchaikovsky’s original intention to dedicate the concerto to the “colossal virtuoso force” of Nikolai Rubinstein, but the composer’s feelings were wounded so deeply [by Rubinstein’s criticism] that Tchaikovsky subsequently changed his mind. The autograph score carries a dedication to Sergei Taneev, whose name was later struck out by the author and replaced by that of Hans von Bülow.
In January 1875, Tchaikovsky orchestrated the concerto, completing this work on 9/21 February (according to the date on the manuscript).
You can read more here.
Erica Johnson came up with a wonderful project for wordpress bloggers. „Kick off 2012 with Project 365”. I would like to call it better: Project 365/366 (we have a lucky bonus-day this year).
If I were to blog the whole year about only one thing, I would definitely blog about Piano.
I decided to start my own project for 2012. I will name it „366 Piano Egos”. This means that I will post every day one piano piece that represents/defines me. I will try to reveal as much as I can the history behind every compositions (because of course, I have my own limits).
No. 1 – Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 5 – Andante cantabile (2nd movement – for piano).
I admire very much Tchaikovsky. He has a special place in my room (on my wall, near the piano) and in my soul. And I may say that from all his works:
Ego=Symphony No. 5 (2nd movement).
I will post some other favs from my dearest Tchaikovsky but this one is My…
My best friends already know that I would like to have this piece played at my funeral.
And now that we settled this detail we can actually listen one version.
But where Berlioz’ idée fixe was attached to a programme of considerable fantasy, Tchaikovsky had only the inner torments of his own life problems on which to draw his programme. Hitherto he had written plenty of music set to pre-existing, non-autobiographical material (the ballets, suites, Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet, etc.), but the symphony could for him express without words those issues too personal for public consumption.
(Quote from the study – Expressing the Inexpressible)
“I should not wish symphonic works to come from my pen which
express nothing, and which consist of empty playing with chords,
rhythms and modulations… ought not a symphony – that is, the most
lyrical of all musical forms – express everything for which there are no
words, but which the soul wishes to express, and which requires to be
expressed?” – P. Tchaikovsky (from Kraus, 26-7)
For my Fav. Symphony NO. 5
