Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6 at the Nice Opera House, Nice Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ion Marin.
Romanian by birth, Austrian by training and nationality, Ion Marin worked extensively alongside Claudio Abbado at the Vienna State Opera. This allowed him to receive a robust technical training and a very good knowledge of the 19th-century symphonic romantic repertoire.
His direction of the Mendelssohn-Tchaikovsky double program confirmed his qualities, besides a perfect understanding of the scores, but also highlighted the limits of his temperament, which curbed the fervor that Tchaikovsky’s music would have deserved.
The execution of the German composer’s work was similarly lackluster in the first part; its classical construction tempered, in a way, the joie de vivre of this music meant to be radiant, hence its name ‘The Italian.’
However, ultimately, the numerous enthusiasts who braved the rain and bad weather appreciated with gusto the beautiful music pages of two giants of the symphony.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony
The magnificent brass fanfares that open the symphony represent fate (“A force of destiny that forbids us from tasting happiness, jealously ensures that our bliss and reconciliations are never unmixed, hangs over our heads like the sword of Damocles, and inexorably pours a slow poison into the soul. We must submit to it and resign ourselves to hopeless sorrow”). Each time man believes he can detach himself from his fate to move towards something better, the theme of fate reappears, like a brutal return to sad reality. These brass fanfares will be the recurring theme of the symphony.
The fourth symphony is the first of Tchaikovsky’s so-called fate symphonies. This is followed by the fifth symphony and the Pathetique.
The first three movements were composed in Venice, when Tchaikovsky was staying in room 106 of the Londra Palace (formerly the Beau Rivage Hotel) from December 2 to December 16, 1877. He intended to name his symphony “Do Leoni” (The Two Lions) in honor of the Lion of Saint Mark and the English rampant lion.
The first performance of the fourth symphony took place in Moscow on February 10, 1878, conducted by Nikolai Rubinstein. It quickly became a staple of the classical repertoire and was one of the most frequently performed symphonies at the end of the 19th century.
The dedication of the score states: “To my best friend.” Tchaikovsky refers to Nadezhda von Meck, his benefactor, with whom he had recently begun a correspondence.
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy’s Fourth Symphony
During his tour across the European continent, Mendelssohn, after Germany, France, and England, stopped in Italy in the spring of 1830. At that time, he was working on the unfinished Scottish Symphony, as well as several other projects.
However, he was keen to start a new work, a symphony that, like the one dedicated to the Scottish Highlands, would draw inspiration from the landscapes and romantic emotions experienced by the composer throughout Italy. His symphony, completed fairly quickly, was a great success and was long considered the musician’s best until the Scottish Symphony was also celebrated.
The Italian Symphony is brilliant, light, and full of good humor
A rare occurrence in the history of symphonies: The ‘Italian’ is in a major key and ends in a minor key! Usually, a symphony in a minor key ends in the homonymous major key. Mendelssohn does the reverse here. However, its finale, although in a minor key, is lively and almost joyful.
