Tchaikovsky’s ‘Seventh’ Symphony In Britain

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29972, 6 November 1962, Page 10

Tchaikovsky’s ‘Seventh’ Symphony In Britain

The first of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s three concerts at the 1982 Hastings Music festival was guaranteed a place in the annals of musical history by reason of including the first performance in the west (the Moscow premiere was in 1957) of Tchaikovsky’s •’Seventh" (though chronologically intended as the sixth) symphony in a reconstruction by the Soviet musician, Semyon Bogatyryev, says a special correspondent of "The Times.”

It is now well known that Tchaikovsky in time deemed the material for this projected No. 6 of 1892 to be more suitable for a piano concerto, of which in the event he published only the first movement. The slow movement and finale only came to light as a result of Taneiev’s work on the unscored sketches, and now Bogatyryev has reworked both Tchaikovsky’s concerto movement and Taneiev’s efforts, as well as selecting and orchestrating an independent piano piece (of 1893) to serve as the missing scherzo.

Had the symphony been cut short by the composer’s death, we could feel nothing but gratitude to Bogatyryev tor his labours. But in deliberately contradicting Tchaikovsky’s own wishes, he earns our thanks not for providing any startling new musical revelation but rather for the light he throws on Tchaikovsky's own mature attitude to the symphony as an art form.

By this time it had become for him an autobiographical document, a musical distillation of his own personal philosophy of lite.

The material of this 1892 project is attractive and cleverly worked, but it is entirely extrovert and impersonal, “pure” music instead of heart's blood, which is undoubtedly why he turned it into other channels. Would Bogatyryev then not have shown more understanding and respect for the composer's mind by completing the work as a piano concerto? However, there is some workmanlike "Tchai-kovsky-without-tears,” enjoyable for rhythmic vitality and melodic charm, but unimportant as a landmark in the composer's development

The performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra was immensely spirited, thanks to the vitality of the conductor, Mr Jacques Singer, who though now an American citizen in charge of the Portland Orchestra. Oregon, has retained all the verve and emotional generosity of his Polish blood. It was Mr Singer's debut in England.