Gerhard Griesel <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I was listening again today to Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto.
>It is well known because of its dramatic and melodious introduction.
>But after the first (less than) three minutes this theme dissipates
>and as far as I can hear it never surfaces again in the concerto.
>In fact, it seems to me that the concerto could have been improved
>by leaving out the first three minutes, because the themes introduced
>after that seem to be developed. Now I am wondering whether ol'
>Piotr had stuck the introduction onto the concerto well after he
>had completed it.

I am reminded of a story told to me by conductor Walter Ducloux. Walter
was a pupil of Bruno Walter. As the story goes, Bruno Walter and Horowitz
were rehearsing the piece and just for the fun of it, they decided to
reintroduce that opening theme in last movement. Ducloux said, "it worked,
but they never performed it that way."

It is interesting to listen to the concerto in the original version...even
if that theme is still treated...or untreated in the same way.

Karl

             ***********************************************
The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R)
list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability
Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery.  For more information,
go to:  http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html