Tchaikovsky’s Signature Sound: A Conductor’s Insight

[@PeterSmith-go9ef]

Thank you for this thoughtful and insightful study of Tchaikovsky`s glorious music. There are so many qualities to praise in this great composers work, for myself the soaring melodies and dramatic intensity, especially in the last three symphonies, and the magnificent Manfred, in my friends words "Go right through you."

[@gabrielhollander]

@@PeterSmith-go9ef thanks Peter for your comment - you’re absolutely right!

[@tommyron]

I really appreciate your coverage here. For me Tchaikovsky is in many ways the most interesting composer of his period. His orchestration in particular is wildly original. George Solti once said that he couldn't believe that there weren't shelves of books on this topic alone. The only person that I've seen pick up on this is Adam Carse in his "History of Orchestration", which is a very old book at this point. I recently had the pleasure of having a work of mine performed on a program with the 4th Symphony. Having that gigantic string section was just glorious. Many thanks from a new subscriber!

[@gabrielhollander]

Thanks for your comment! I’d be interested - is there a recording of your piece that was programmed together with the 4th symphony? We combined the 6th symphony with a world creation a couple of years back!

[@briantorres3559]

The Pathetique has always been an amazing inspiration for my own compositions! The music is just first class!

[@gabrielhollander]

Lovely! I’d be curious to disocver your composition based on the Pathetique. Can this be seen online?

[@nicholaswheeler8038]

Finally, the Manfred getting the respect for it's powerful and intense orchestration! Me being a violist/bassist, Tchaikovsky string writing never disappoints. Another thing I love about Tchaikovsky are his climatic buildups. Just when you think you’ve hit the ceiling, he blows it off the roof. Notably 5th Symphony 2nd movement, 4th Symphony 2nd movement, Romeo and Juliet, Francesca da Rimini, and Souvernir De Florence 1st and 2nd movements.

[@gabrielhollander]

All great examples indeed - thanks for your comment!

[@jorgelopez-pr6dr]

Love the Manfred Symphony! I know Byron's poem through Tchaikovsky as Egmont by Beethoven ( read it several months ago).

[@gabrielhollander]

@@jorgelopez-pr6dr Thanks for your comment 😃!

[@BsktImp]

I think his Romeo & Juliet overture is perhaps the most compact unit that captures the essential characteristics: big melodies (of course) with syncopated WW and brass 'dabs' decorating or punctuating the section carrying the melody; high WW playing repeated tuplets providing 'below-the-radar' forward momentum; lots of diminished and half-diminished chords to build tension etc etc.

[@gabrielhollander]

You're completely right - very good points, thanks for sharing!

[@steve-4045]

I agree. It is the only Tchaikovsky piece I have ever conducted. It was part of my orchestral conducting class, and I led the university orchestra. I found it quite difficult at the time, but was well prepared enough that I think I did fine. I got good compliments from an orchestra member, who I later found out was a conducting major when I attended his senior conducting recital. So it turned out to be a much better compliment than I had known at the time. So naturally with knowing the piece much more thoroughly than any of his other works, it is a favorite of mine to listen to.

[@gabrielhollander]

@@steve-4045 thanks for sharing this anecdote - lovely compliment indeed!

[@PosauneundPapier]

I’ve always wondered what qualities make Tchaikovsky’s music so distinct and addictive to listen to. These are some great points and I definitely agree! I think his writing for the brass is always some of the best in the repertoire. He wrote some of the more interesting bass trombone parts that have melodies individual to the rest of the orchestra and even the rest of the trombone section. He very distinctly utilized the bass trombone individually

[@gabrielhollander]

Very good points, indeed! Thanks for sharing your ideas about the bass trombone parts!

[@IceOfPhoenix88]

i would add 5) he uses runs a lot. classic example: nutcracker pas de deux. there are those little runs up to the melody in the high register

[@gabrielhollander]

Very good point indeed - thanks for sharing!

[@wamexart]

I believe that an important emblem, is the melody of the themes of his orchestral works. They do not demand a lot from the listeners to like them. Their charm go directly to the heart, with minor demand from the brain.

[@gabrielhollander]

Absolutely, thanks for your comment!

[@grisgriz85]

Would you like to talk about Rachmaninoff, who seems to be the obvious choice to follow your points on Tchaikovsky?

[@gabrielhollander]

@@grisgriz85 good point! It’s absolutely on the list of to-do videos - soon more info :)

[@rufescens]

What do you make of those crazy fast scales that Tchaikovsky uses that get passed on back and forth between the strings and the woodwinds, like in the fourth movement of Symphony No. 4 and the third movement of the Pathetique? They’ve always confused me.

[@gabrielhollander]

@@rufescens interesting question! Depending on which specific scenario, I feel Tchaikovsky uses those scales as a specific effect (even though abstract). For example, doesn’t the third movement of the Pathetique sound like a crowd laughing/cheering or clapping before the jubilant tutti theme comes back? Let me know if this makes sense :).

[@rufescens]

@@gabrielhollanderYes, it does! Though it’s sometimes struck me as not very effective to shift back and forth between different instruments mid-scale (which happens in the fourth Symphony.) What do you think? How do you handle that when you conduct?

[@gabrielhollander]

​@@rufescens That's a good point - in the movement 4 of the 4th Symphony, these mid-scale changes happen often. I'd handle this during rehearsals as possible, in a few ways: • practice once slowly if the orchestra has not yet played this piece, so everyone understands how the interconnections are written • practice in tempo by feeling *directions* and not only *impulses* (if this makes sense - it's easier to play together when we feel the same energy pulled in the same direction) • on a psychological level, filling the "empty" beats with the sixteenth notes of the others musicians, and continue the pulse internally What could be an added potentiel complexity, is when the orchestra is really large or there's a lot of space between strings and winds. Depending on the rehearsal or concert space, it can be easier if the musicians are seated not too far away. It's a very interesting topic, and food for thought. Let me know if this make sense - I could even add the idea as a next video idea 😎!

[@rufescens]

⁠@@gabrielhollander I see-thank you! Yes, that does make sense. It sounds like it’s a very interesting effect, but one that’s not easy to execute!

[@tomaswestholm4993]

Love this! I'm really into tchaikovsky and this is making me want to read a second book about him. Just some feedback on the audio. Sounds like the voiceover is panned quite unusually, it's not centered (dual mono) rather it's louder in the right ear. I suspect it's because maybe you recorded the voiceover in stereo on that zoom recorder? So when you turn it around that also reflects in the panning. The sound is also very saturated (distorted)

[@gabrielhollander]

@@tomaswestholm4993 thanks for your comment - care to share what book you’re wanting to read about Tchaikovsky? Thanks for the feedback on the audio, I’ll definitely keep this in mind for the next videos 🙏!

[@tomaswestholm4993]

@@gabrielhollander I have read David Brown´s the man and his music. Very good.

[@gabrielhollander]

@@tomaswestholm4993indeed, thanks for the reference 🙏!

[@fiddler1094]

Your audio is too much saturated, just an observation. I love your content. Just that little detail.

[@gabrielhollander]

@@fiddler1094 thanks for your feedback - you’re right, and I’ll take care of the audio in the future! 🙏

[@PeterFamiko-lw8ue]

add 4th symphony

[@gabrielhollander]

@@PeterFamiko-lw8ue of course, this could be the subject of a future video 🤓

[@slateflash]

Tchaikovsky's signature sound is awful percussion writing

[@gabrielhollander]

Thanks for your comment! Care to expand your point of view :)?

[@slateflash]

@@gabrielhollander Oh i would LOVE TO. Everytime he pairs cymbals with bass drum and triangle... it sounds like one of those annoying toy monkeys with cymbals. The last few bars of his symphony #2 contain 24 CONSECUTIVE cymbal crashes with bass drum. It's so excessive and tacky even though it might have been somewhat revolutionary back then. The worst thing is these are pretty much the only percussion instruments he uses besides timpani and so he does not have much room to experiment with interesting rhythms or having different instruments play different rhythms. All his percussion parts pretty much sound like that

[@gabrielhollander]

@ thanks for sharing your point of view on this insight - it’s indeed an interesting topic!

[@slateflash]

@@gabrielhollander I'm not saying he's a bad composer btw, he's great but i hate his percussion writing and will never defend it

[@gabrielhollander]

@@slateflash Great :)!

[@davidrandolph1863]

I appreciate the analysis, but you must let the listener actually hear the musical examples to understand your points, perhaps repeat the same passage of the music after you've explained your point, so we can listen again and comprehend the lesson. You tell us to "listen" and allow us less than 3 seconds when you start talking over the music. Your viewers do not have your intimate knowledge of this subject matter... give us a several seconds to actively listen.

[@gabrielhollander]

Good point, thanks for sharing this feed-back, David 🙏!

[@bomcabedal]

@@gabrielhollander Plus KZbin monetization gets a lot better after 10 minutes of runtime. Just sayin'...

[@gabrielhollander]

@@bomcabedal Thanks for this information 🙏!