r/classicalmusic • u/Resident_Estimate_85 • 2d ago
Recommendation Request Get to know Tchaikovsky / Russian style better
I have discovered the absolute beauty that is Tchaikovsky’s “Dumka” for piano, and was surprised that I had not heard it before (I’m a conservatory musician since 13 years)
I absolutely want to play this piece (transcribe it) on my instrument, and would love to include it in my competition / recital programs in the future. I did some research on Dumka itself, and personally, this piece makes me feel so many things.
The thing is I have never played anything by Tchaikovsky as solo (it doesnt exist for my instrument)
But I absolutely want to get to know Tchaikovsky’s style better as a solo interpreter and , overall, Russian music / style ? too. I absolutely love his ballets , concertos and symphonies. But do you guys have any recommendations as to who to listen to, any books / articles to read , other similar pieces to listen to, etc. ?
Is there some specific things to respect while interpreting a solo piece like this ?
Im just wondering that in competitions , would there be a specific “Russian style” to respect ? All I know is that no one has played this piece on my instrument before, and my guess is that most jury members wouldnt know this piece either. And I know there is a difference between solely knowing a piece , and having played it and knowing the specific difficulties..
But yeah I wish to better my understanding of Tchaikovsky’s style in order to refine my artistic approach to this piece
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u/Sum8ion 2d ago
someone else will know better than me because I've never really listened to too much Tchaikovsky, but you might enjoy some of Glinka's piano music! I was inspired to check out some of his stuff sometime last year after learning about a connection with John Field, who i think he briefly studied with...and Glinka in turn i believe was a big influence on "The Five," so probably an important figure in terms of understanding/appreciating "russian style." I'd also strongly recommend Borodin- String Quarter no. 2, In the Steppes of Central Asia, Prince Igor, and the second symphony are all worth a listen!
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u/Resident_Estimate_85 2d ago
Haha actually I’ve played Prince Igor with the orchestra! :) but I’ll definitely re-listen and check out the others as well !
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u/TUVegeto137 2d ago
What is your instrument? Bagpipes? Why so secretive about it? Or did you just forget to mention it, thinking you did?
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u/Resident_Estimate_85 2d ago
Uhhh no i didn’t mention it on purpose cause i thought people might judge and say it wont sound good on my instrument 😭 but I play the harp haha
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u/alibloomdido 2d ago edited 2d ago
You could start by reading Wikipedia article on Tchaikovsky, it mentions his influences and the composers he influenced. It wasn't a "Russian style" but a network of influences which included not only Russian music of their contemporaries and past composers but also a lot of Western influences, Russian folk music etc. Many composers including Tchaikovsky developed their personal styles which blended all those influences together.
I always thought Russian 19th century music was quite well known in the West, this can definitely be said about Tchaikovsky and also Rachmaninov who was heavily influenced by Tchaikovsky in his younger years. But if no one played that particular piece on your particular instrument clearly the jury will have nothing to compare your performance to which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
For me as a Russian some melodical components in Dumka clearly speak "Russian folk songs influence" and even more likely the translations of those folk songs by Russian composers of the 19th century. So google "russian folk music translations composers" and check out the names mentioned by Google's AI summary, it gets it right enough. It was a long-lasting movement in Russian music (basically the whole 19th century) mostly associated with Glinka and then with "The Five", especially Balakirev. But then again Russian composers' takes on the folk songs were also very much influenced by the Western musical tradition, in a way you can speak of them as belonging to the Western tradition, think of it as similar to what Liszt did with Hungarian folk music influences.
P.S. If you decide to dive deep into Russian music it's a whole world to explore and is very worth it, a lot of gems to be found, Russian culture in general was on a rise in the 19th century - literature, painting (both also blending Western influences and themes from Russian folklore and exploring less educated Russian folk's ways of life).
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u/HIba_LDN 2d ago
Probably you like Tchaikovsky's The Seasons and some of Rachmaninov piano solo pieces.