Track Listing

1. 1. Introduction
2. 2. Tanets i Khor Ptits
3. 3. Monolog Moroza
4. 4. Provody Maslenitsy
5. 5a. Melodrama
6. 5b. Entr'acte
7. 6. Pervaia pesnia Lelia
8. 7. Vtoraia pesnia Lelia
9. 8. Entr'acte
10. 9. Khor slepykh gusliarov
11. 10. Melodrama
12. 11. Khor naroda i tsaredvortsev
13. 12. Khorovod Devushek
14. 13. Jester's Dance
15. 14a. Tret'ia pesnia Lelia
16. 14b. Tret'ia pesnia Lelia
17. 15. Pesnia Brusily
18. 16. Appearance of the Wood Bird
19. 17a. Entr'acte
20. 17b. Deklamatsia vensy
21. 18. Marsh Tsaria Berendeia i Khor
22. 19. Final

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #220810 in Music
• Released on: 1994-11-29
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

The best "unknown" Tchaikovsky piece ever written
How anybody can give this beautiful work only three stars is beyond me. Of all Tchaikovsky's infrequently played works, this is easily the best one, full of the beautiful melody that he is famous for. It surpasses the first three Tchaikovsky symphonies as well as the "Manfred Symphony". True, there is some repetition, but the previous reviewer forgets that this is not opera music (the opera of "The Snow Maiden" is by Rimsky-Korsakov, not Tchaikovsky). Tchaikovsky's score for "The Snow Maiden"---written NOT for the Hans Christian Andersen story but for the first production of a Russian fantasy-play by Tchaikovsky's contemporary, 19th century playwight Alexander Ostrovsky, is incidental music written for that play, and incidental music is the direct ancestor of movie background music. It was meant to be played both during the action and between set changes, which were enormously time-consuming in elaborate productions such as this.

Just as a James Bond film repeats the catchy Bond theme more than once during any 007 feature, a composer who writes theatrical music for a play will repeat several of his main themes more than once. And Tchaikovsky was not the only composer to do this; Mendelssohn did it in his music for "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and Grieg did it in his "Peer Gynt" music. What is so awful about Tchaikovsky following their example?

As for the performances and the recorded sound, they are excellent. Neeme Jervi is unsurpassed at bringing unknown music to light, and he has done a masterful job here. The soloists are just fine; I can see no reason for faulting them.

This is an excellent addition to anyone's record collection, especially if they love Tchaikovsky or are passionately interested in 19th century theatrical music for dramatic plays---now if only some intelligent producer would stage this long-forgotten play on PBS, WITH Tchaikovsky's music.

A very nice find. Best aspects of Russian music.
I almost invariably avoid Tchaikovsky's musical works, probably based on the hangovers from listening to the highly contrived '1812 Overture' and some, on the other hand, of his dullish instrumental pieces. But, if there is anything the Russians can do right, it's music for drama, especially when it includes choral pieces. And the vocal and choral pieces in this 'minor' work are simply engaging. And, the hefty 80 minute duration is nothing to sneeze at.

If, like me, you enjoy out of the way corners of music history, this is a great find.

When a Genius Writes Inconsequential Music
Tchaikovsky's incidental music for the play "The Snow Maiden" is a relatively early work (opus 12), and as much as it shows at times the genius to come in the later works, it really is a much lesser piece. The real folk melodies Tchaikovsky uses in this set of songs, dances and choruses never seem to rise entirely above the banal (except perhaps the "Jester's Dance," an incredibly lively affair often played by itself). If there is a nice turn of phrase or a nice harmonic progression, it tends to get repeated to death - not like the Tchaikovsky we all know. Surprisingly, the composer thought highly of this work.

Neeme Jarvi conducts this suite with his usual penchant for attending to detail and making it all work together. The Detroit Symphony plays in an engaging, virtuosic manner. The University Musical Society Choral Union (based at the U of M, Ann Arbor), while apparently coached in the Russian tongue, can't quite get it right, and they also don't have much of a pianissimo or much of a sense of the potential for choral subtleties. (But then this music wouldn't exactly inspire me if I were singing in a chorus.) The vocal soloists, Irina Mishura-Lekhtman and Vladimir Grishko, are quite fine throughout.

My advice: Buy this 79-minute CD if the work piques your curiosity, but don't get it if you're after only "A" Tchaikovsky.