Undina (Tchaikovsky)
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| Title: | Undine |
| Original title: | Ундина (Undina) |
| Shape: | Opera fragment |
| Original language: | Russian |
| Music: | Pyotr Tchaikovsky |
| Libretto : | Vladimir Sollogub |
| Literary source: | Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué : Undine |
| Premiere: | March 16, 1870 (excerpts) |
| Place of premiere: | Bolshoi Theater Moscow |
| Playing time: | 10–15 minutes (numbers received) |
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Undina (sometimes also Undine or Ondine , Russian: Ундина ) is an opera fragment by Pyotr Tchaikovsky , which was originally designed for three acts.
Emergence
The work based on a libretto by Vladimir Sollogub was composed in 1869. It is based on Wassili Schukowski's translation of the story Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué .
Tchaikovsky decided to discard the already completed work, excerpts of which were premiered in 1870 under Eduard Merten at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow with Aleksandra Aleksandrova-Kochetova as Undina and Aleksandr Dodonov as Huldbrand, and largely destroyed it. Eduard Merten became second conductor at the Bolshoi shortly before 1870. He was considered a "talented pianist and composer of romances, but was completely inexperienced as a conductor."
There are quite a number of reconstructions of the opera that are performed over and over again today.
Received music numbers
The first three musical numbers have been preserved as a score. Tchaikovsky continued to use numbers 4 and 5 for other purposes.
- No. 1. Introduction (Moderato assai),
reused as an introduction to the music for the play Snow Maiden - No. 2. Aria (Undina): “Undine's song” (Песнь Ундины). "Водопад мой дядя", "My Uncle's Waterfall" (Moderato),
reused as Lel's first song (I.6) in Snow Maiden - No. 3.
- Choir (people): "Спасайтесь, спасайтесь", "Help, help" (Allegro)
- Duet (Undina, Huldbrand): "О, счастье, миг блаженный" - "O joy, blissful moment" (Allegro)
- Finale (soloists, choir): "О, смерти час, последний час" - "O hour of death" ([Allegro])
- No. 4. Wedding procession (Andante marziale quasi Moderato),
reused in the second movement of the 2nd symphony - No. 5. Duet (Undina, Huldbrand): "Ундина, забудь мои преступленья" - "Undina, forget my offenses" ([Andante non troppo]),
reused in the 5th variation (II.13) of Swan Lake
orchestra
The following instrumentation can be deduced from the musical numbers obtained:
- Woodwinds : flute piccolo , two flutes , two oboes , two clarinets , two bassoons
- Brass : four horns , two trumpets , two trombones , tuba
- three timpani , percussion : triangle , cymbals , bass drum
- piano
- harp
- Strings : violins 1, violins 2, violas , cellos , double basses
Web links
- Undina : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Info page on tchaikov.ru (Russian)
- Work information at Tchaikovsky Research (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kashkin: Memoirs , pp 64-66.
- ↑ Performance 2015 under Vladimir Fedosejew in Moscow
- ↑ a b information on the work at Tchaikovsky Research (English) , accessed on June 11, 2018.