YourClassical

30 Days of Classical, Day 7: More about beauty than tradition

30 Days of Classical, Day 7
Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Corey Sweeter for APM

Peter Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto has been hammered since its inception. Ignored by violinists early on, and savaged ruthlessley by critics.

It's understandable, I suppose, since Tchaikovsky himself was not a violinist. He depended a lot on the advice of one of his students, Josef Kotek, who played the instrument.

Despite the critical reception, audiences did not abandon it. Different violinists came along who wanted to play it, and the critics just had to stop complaining as it grew and grew in popularity.

Tchaikovsky's inspiration was the Symphonie Espanole of Eduard Lalo because, he said, "Lalo thinks more about musical beauty than about observing established traditions." And since then, Peter Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto has become an established tradition.

MUSIC: Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Pro Arte 316

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