TCHAIKOVSKY: ELEVEN DAYS AND A MASTERPIECE

The Violin Concerto, Op. 35 by Tchaikovsky combines dazzling melodies, raw emotion and luminous virtuosity. Ironically, it dates back to 1878, a year in which Tchaikovsky was struggling with severe depression, caused by the failure of his marriage due to his sexual condition and the pressure of an intolerant society.

Tchaikovsky left home and took refuge in Clarens, a Swiss town on the shores of Lake Geneva. There he discovered the score of Édouard Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole and inspired by the Swiss landscape and Lalo's irresistible lyricism, Tchaikovsky began composing his acclaimed Violin Concerto. The composer sketched the entire concerto in eleven days and spent another two weeks working on the details of the orchestration.

Clarens and the Violin Concerto, gave back to Tchaikovsky the confidence and strength of mind needed to continue composing wonderful works.

 

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