Franz Liszt
♫ Thursday, May 26th, 2011
Tchaikovsky – A Musical Phenomenon
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born to a reasonably well-off family on May 7th 1840 in Votkinsk Russia. The young Tchaikovsky was considered to be precocious and was already accomplished in the languages of German and French by the age of just 6. He began piano lessons at the age of 5 and showed a natural aptitude saying that music playing in his head kept him awake at night. Tchaikovsky lost his mother to cholera when he was 14 and never got over the loss.
At the age of 10 Tchaikovsky was sent to the School of Jurisprudence to prepare him for a career in the civil service, his family did not full realize the extent of his musical talent. He did not study music in any serious way while at school but after his graduation in 1859 he started to study music more seriously. Tchaikovsky began taking lessons at the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1862 and in 1863 he resigned from his job at the Ministry of Justice.
Now free to pursue his main passion Tchaikovsky threw himself into the study of his beloved music. His mentor was the founder and director of the St Petersburg Conservatory, Anton Rubenstein. Rubenstein taught Tchaikovsky composition and instrumentation and Tchaikovsky graduated from the conservatory in December 1865.
Tchaikovsky began to complete several notable compositions between 1865 and 1892 and on October 25th 1875 his third symphony premiered in Boston. His works were notable for their melodic qualities and Tchaikovsky is considered to be the master composer for classical ballet. During this time he composed some of his most well loved works – Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. As his reputation as a composer began to grow in Europe he entered into an ill-fated marriage that only lasted for 9 weeks.
Tchaikovsky continued to enjoy great success and traveled to many places but another ill-fated romance plagued him and his private life was somewhat troubled. Tchaikovsky fled to America in 1891 where he spent some time touring and conducting before making a return to Russia. His Sixth Symphony, Pathetique, was first aired in October 1893 but was poorly received this was thought to be down to the fact that Tchaikovsky himself was conducting – something he was never comfortable with doing – the symphony eventually received much greater success.
It is widely believed the Tchaikovsky died of Cholera after drinking contaminated water. He died just a week after the premiere of the Sixth Symphony, Pathetique, in November 1893 and never knew that it would later be considered to be one of his and indeed one of the greatest musical works of all time.
Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No.2 Orchestra
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Cosima Wagner/postcard Photo Mugs COSIMA WAGNER Daughter of Franz Liszt, wife of (1) Hans von Bulow, (2) Richard Wagner …. |
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Franz Liszt Photo Mugs Franz Liszt (1811-1886) the Hungarian composer in old age …. |
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LISZT (1811-1886) Photo Mugs FRANZ LISZT Hungarian musician …. |
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The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe $7.78 … |
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The Most Relaxing Piano Album in the World…Ever! $8.78 … |
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The Most Soothing Lullabies In The Universe $3.43 … |
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Song Without End [VHS] $19.98 Fifteen years after directing the florid and commercially successful Chopin bio-pic, the 1945 A Song to Remember, director Charles Vidor headed up this lush, Technicolor production about Franz Liszt–only to die a few weeks into shooting and be replaced by George Cukor. (Cukor insisted the credit remain with Vidor, and indeed there is little of Cukor’s touch visible in this film.) Song Without End… |
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Lisztomania [VHS] $14.98 Lisztomania, Ken Russell’s follow-up to Tommy (both films were released in 1975) finds him even more in the mood for desultory spectacle than his garish pop artistry adapting the Who’s rock opera. Seeking to tell the story of superstar composer Franz Liszt through a freewheeling series of pop allegories, kitsch, quotes, and pastiches, Russell hopes to reflect in contemporary terms the runaway tra… |
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Impromptu $7.17 Still more Victorian country-house shenanigans: novelist George Sand (Judy Davis, affected but pretty darn charming) has eyes for Franz Liszt’s young protégé Chopin (Hugh Grant, solid as always, but burdened by a silly Polish accent and a script that never lets him stretch out), but various lovers, jealous rivals, and Chopin’s own overdeveloped sense of propriety conspire to confound her. I… |
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Lang Lang- Liszt Now [Blu-ray] $17.99 World-renowned pianist LANG LANG continues his celebration of composer Franz Liszt’s 200th Birthday with LISZT NOW. The new video features Live at The Roundhouse, a 60-minute live concert from the 2011 iTunes Festival in London and The Art of Being a Virtuoso, a 71-minute documentary following Lang Lang’s global celebrations of Franz Liszt’s anniversary. Also included is A Visual Journey with Fran… |