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Piano
Concerto (1956-1957):
This
webpage provides information about the André Tchaikowsky early
Piano Concerto (1956-1957). First are music links (as *.mp3 files) and
then text that lists all known details regarding this composition, including
performances to date, plus text about the concerto from the book, The
Other Tchaikowsky - A Biographical Sketch of André Tchaikowsky.
The
Music:
The piano concerto was recorded as a vinyl record, which lacks good
sonic qualities but one can get an idea of the composition. The concerto
is in three movements, as listed below as *mp3 files. At times, you
will notice André making humming noises.
01_a_czajkowski_early_pf_concerto_1st_mvmt.mp3
02_a_czajkowski_early_pf_concerto_2nd_mvmt.mp3
03_a_czajkowski_early_pf_concerto_3rd_mvmt.mp3
Known
Details:
The Piano Concerto (1956-1957) received a single performance:
Belgium
National Orchestra
Brussels, Belgium
15 April 1958
André Tchaikowsky - Piano
André Vandernoot - Conducting
The following
text is from the book, The Other Tchaikowsky - A Biographical Sketch
of André Tchaikowsky, and describes what is known about the
Piano Concerto (1956-1957).
[The very
first mention of a piano concerto is when Andrzej requested a commission
and a subsidy from the Polish Composers' Union on January 5, 1951 -
He was 15 years old]
To: Polish
Composers' Union, Warsaw
Fm: Andrzej Czajkowski, 7 Dabrowskiego Street, Apartment 3, Sopot
I wish
to inform you about my composition projects:
a. Piano
Etudes - A series of 12 piano etudes to be used at the higher music
schools, in which I touch upon new piano techniques and rhythm problems.
I think I can complete this work by the beginning of April 1951, but
not later than the end of April 1951.
b. Piano
Concerto - A piano concerto will be written in F-minor, accompanied
by an orchestra, enlarged. The tempo is still something I have to
determine. The concerto movements shall be allegro, moderato, andante
spianato, and scherzo.
c. Flute
Concerto - A flute concerto will be written to use in a natural way,
that is, in the original scale.
The piano
and flute concertos will be finished by the end of the next academic
year, or at least one of them will be done. I wish the Union to commission
these works and grant me a subsidy, which will allow me to finish
one or both of the above-mentioned compositions.
Yours,
Andrzej Czajkowski
[The concerto
is mentioned again in 1957, after study with Nadia Boulanger. The concerto
is dedicated to pianist John Browning, whom André met at the
1956 Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition.]
Piano
Concerto (1956-1957)
The piano
concerto promised to John Browning was completed at Fontainebleau in
July, 1957, and first performed in April, 1958, with the Belgium National
Orchestra conducted by André Vandernoot. André Tchaikowsky
was the piano soloist. The score is dated, "Juillet 1956 -- Juillet
1957 (Bruxelles -- Varsovie -- Sofia -- Paris -- Fontainebleau)."
André had hoped that Browning might have considered giving the
first performance, but he wasn't interested in the concerto.
André
describes his composition in a letter to Halina Wahlmann (now Halina
Wahlmann-Janowska) on June 18, 1957:
Dear
Pussycat,
My little
kisser, I'm very worried about you, and I myself am going through
a difficult time. I have to do everything at once -- finish my concerto
by the first of August, record three long playing records: Gaspard
de la Nuit, Visions Fugitive, Goldberg Variations, Bach's three preludes
and fugues, plus six Scarlatti sonatas.
I visit
the Rubinstein's every day, which is far less fun than it would seem.
Mr. Rubinstein is very much interested in my piano concerto and he
says that it will be Bartok's fourth concerto (he doesn't like Bartok).
He gave me the following advice: "Open up! Let your soul sing!
You're very talented, child, a golden talent. You should write as
to make everybody in the audience cry." But I doubt if I'm going
to listen to him. I could end up with the fifth concerto by Rachmaninoff.
My conductor, the handsome André Vandernoot, gives me the opposite
advice: "Oh, such a beautiful theme! Isn't it a waste to use
it for the piano? Turn it into a symphony. What do you need this typewriter
for? It was fashionable during its era. In ten years' time, almost
nobody will be playing it. Listen mate, the orchestra plays much better
when no twiddle, twiddle interrupts her."
Under
Rubinstein's influence I wrote a theme, which all my friends consider
to be terribly sweet and weepy. Under Vandernoot's influence, I added
accompaniment on the post twelve-tone series with "concrete"
whispers on percussion, pianissimo kettle drums, glides and trills
in the quarter tones. God only knows how it's going to turn out, but
I'm looking forward to the first performance, and I feel we are all
going to have a lot of fun.
I can
just imagine the look on the faces of the orchestra during the first
rehearsals. (By the way I'd like to have you there.) It will be nothing
less than a zoological symphony: Drums growling, clarinets meowing,
brass roaring, and flutes barking. But the real menagerie will be
the audience.
My love,
it's already past four, and at five I begin recording. Let me be blessed
by God, because I don't know what I shall be doing. Hopefully, I'm
not the only one. A few days ago I went to a concert given by C. P.
who plays and looks like an old, used-up French letter. Men of learning
find in him a certain resemblance to Rameses II, but it must be said
that the Egyptian civilization has so far fared better. It didn't
cross anybody's mind to mummify C. P. when there was still time for
it. As of now, I'm seriously afraid it's too late, both for him, as
well as for Mrs. M.L. [Marguerite Long], who, for a change, in terms
of her face, resembles Moby Dick. The only one that holds his age
quite well is King Arthur [Rubenstein].
Well,
be well, be well. Aunt Mala keeps hurrying me up, bangs me on the
back, pulls my hair so as to make me hurry up, because you should
know, I'm still in my pajamas. I kiss you a thousand times.
Yours,
André
After the
premiere performance, the work was never played again. The complete
score is in the Josef Weinberger André Tchaikowsky archives.
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