Rococo Variations

The year 1877 was a tumultuous and emotionally charged period in the life of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. After premiering his second and third symphonies, his first piano concerto, Swan Lake, The Tempest and several chamber music works over the course of a few years, Tchaikovsky premiered his fourth symphony and Variations on a Rococo Theme. Moreover, he could now rely on the substantial financial support of Nadezhda von Meck, a devoted patron of the arts and great admirer, who provided him with an allowance for nearly 14 years. On a personal level, however, Tchaikovsky was struggling. After submitting the first version of his Rococo Variations to the cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, who had commissioned the work, Tchaikovsky experienced one of the darkest periods of his life. In an attempt to “cure” himself of his homosexuality, he married one of his former students. The marriage was a failure, and two months later, the composer attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Moskva River, hoping to contract fatal pneumonia.  

Tchaikovsky survived, though it came at a great personal cost. The turmoil of this event pulled his focus away from his new composition, and he was initially unaware of the many changes that were made by Fitzenhagen. The cellist heavily edited the score, even removing one of its variations, before publishing it with his own changes. Ironically, Tchaikovsky, who just a few years earlier had declared, “I won’t change a single note” in response to criticism of his Piano Concerto No. 1, eventually came to accept—albeit reluctantly—the fate of his Variations. After its premiere, the work was not performed again in the composer’s original version until 1941. While most performers today still favour Fitzenhagen’s version, an increasing number of cellists—including Bryan Cheng in tonight’s concert—are choosing to perform Tchaikovsky’s original score. 

In his Rococo Variations, Tchaikovsky honours the 18th century with elegance and finesse, evoking the style of Mozart. The variations that follow the exposition of the gallant theme are marked by striking contrasts: the even-numbered variations are virtuosic, while the odd-numbered variations have a more melancholic tone. Yet, all are united by the composer’s distinctive and profound lyricism.