Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6, movement 2

So after a little uncertainty about what to write for the 2nd through 4th movements of this symphony, I think I have a better idea today. This afternoon I bought a recording of the symphony by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra :) According to the album sleeve, this second movement is supposed to "illustrate the transient pleasures of everyday life" It is written as a trio in 5/4 time- weird! (but really cool) The unusual time signature gives the music a sort of strange lilt.

The beginning of the movement sounds very country-like and pleasant to me, but I think between the parts where the main melody of this movement is heard- the unusual time signature helps to show hints of stress and disruption beneath the pleasant everyday life. This is can be heard especially during the middle section of this movement at: 2:40
The timpani, again, provides that sort of somber heartbeat. After this middle developmental section, life continues- and so does the cheery melody from the beginning of the movement. The end of the movement is a little strange; we hear the stress of the middle section illustrated by the cellos and brass, while it is answered reassuringly by the horns and winds. Again, we have the theme of hope as the movement comes to a quiet close.

Same recording as last post
Movement II: Allegro Con Grazia

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