Tchaikovsky's Searing Manfred - A Programmatic Symphony
Tchaikovsky wrote six numbered symphonies, but only the last three are played very often, which is unfortunate, as the first three are highly attractive. But he also wrote a massive unnumbered symphony with a program, or definite story, based on a poem by Lord Byron, called Manfred.
This is only occaisionally performed, but some consider it one of the composer's greatest works, and was written in the mid 1880s, between the fourth and fifth symphonies. The Manfred symphony is in the tradition started by the Symphonie Fantastique of Hector Berlioz, that is, a multi-movement orchestral work which tells an elaborate story, unlike your typical abstract symphony.
Byron's poem concerns one Manfred, a tormented soul who wanders in the Alps searching in vain for happiness and fulfillment. He was tempted by the ancient goddess Astarte, and longs for her. There are four movements. The outer ones are the longest and most complex, and the two briefer inner ones are a kind of relief from the brooding and anguish of the others.
Tchaikovsky's own notes on the work begin thusly - "Manfred wanders in the Alps, tormented by fateful pangs of doubt, rent by remorse and despair, his soul the victim of nameless suffering." This is the long, brooding first movement, which opens with a mournful theme which recurs throughout the symphony at crucial times. The movement ends with a crushingly massive climax .
The brief second movement provides much-needed relief. According to the composer, the "Alpine fairy appears to Manfred in a rainbow". The music is delicate and gossamer. There is a lyrical melody which serves as the middle section, and a return to the opening, but also an ominous return of the baleful opening theme.
The third movement is a gentle intermezzo with lilting , barcarolle-like movement. Manfred seeks solace among the shepards, but there is still another ominous return of the fateful melody of the beginning.
The last movement depicts a hellish bacchanal in the underground palace of the ancient pre-islamic Persian god Arimanes . "Manfred appears in the middle of the Bacchanal". The goddess Astarte appears and predicts that he will soon die and be freed from his earthly torment. Manfred dies quietly, and the work comes to gentle conclusion.
The bacchanal contains some of the most frenzied music you'll ever hear. This is no fun get together ! The symphony reaches a heart-stopping climax complete with a resounding organ, and the work reaches its quiet conclusion.
The Manfred symphony is a difficult work, complex, intensely emotional and longer than any of the six numbered Tchaikovsky symphonies. But it's a genuine masterpiece, and deserves to be heard more often.
However, many eminent conductors have recorded it, including Arturo Toscanini, Eugene Ormandy, Igor Markevitch, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, Andre Previn, Yevgeny Svetlanov, and others.