Complete Orchestral Music, Vol. 4

Abstract

Despite the late opus number, this is very early Tchaikovsky, composed in 1864 and published under the above opus number after the composer's death. It is inspired by Ostrovsky's play, which is about a woman on an isolated country estate who commits an illicit affair; the "storm" of the title refers to a violent summer thunderstorm which symbolizes the suddeness of couple's surrender to their long-building passion: A natural subject for Tchaikovsky, this is an ardent and tragic piece of music, full of the expected fine melody, imaginative orchestration, and fiery drama. There are aspects of the composer's compositional immaturity which prevent it from achieving real greatness, but it is still a highly worthwihle and rewarding work to hear. The Storm is often confused with a later piece: Opus 18, composed in 1873, called "The Tempest. (in Russian, "Burya"). This is based on Shakespeare's play. The confusion comes because the two Russian titles have often translated to the same word in various languages.

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