To me this is one transcription too far. Do not get
me wrong, it is well played and seems to have been competently scored
and arranged for fiddle and orchestra. But that is not the point. Surely
there is enough concerted music for strings around without having recourse
to some good but not great piano pieces that were written for gifted
amateurs. The Russian himself wrote a fine Violin Concerto. The
Seasons were written in 1875/6 as a result of a commission from
the editor of the musical periodical Nouvelliste. This monthly
publication contained a piano piece 'got up' by Tchaikovsky. They are
quite simply character pieces - for example, musical evocations of firesides
in January, April snowdrops and the October hunt.
As original piano works these pieces are interesting
but barely challenge the pianist. In its transcribed form, the innocent
charm of the piano works is certainly present. There is quite a chamber
feel to much of this arrangement. Yet it fails to convince. In my opinion
these are not numbers to be listened to as a series. Most pianists would
probably have chosen to excerpt from the collection. I find listening
to all twelve pieces somewhat boring.
There has been a long musical history of arrangements
of certain numbers of the Twelve Pieces. So this contribution
is hardly surprising or revolutionary. We have here some old chestnuts
- the Chanson Triste and the Song without Words. These
have been the delight or the bane of generations of pianists. Let me
reiterate - they are good works - but not great music. They were ephemeral
pieces written for the amateur market. They do not need or perhaps even
deserve the expenditure of effort to arrange, learn and perform in this
guise. Personally I will always plonk my way through the piano score
of these pieces, but would not wish to invest an hour of my time listening
to them in this somewhat contrived arrangement.
John France
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