In November, Denis von Meck, descendant of the great composer, reached the UN Headquarters to talk about Tchaikovsky’s relationship with the United States and his important role to guarantee the success of the iconic Hall Carnegie Hall of New York.
Denis von Meck At the end of the 19th century, New York lacked good quality places for musical performances, so a group of music lovers eager to see a new concert hall in the city turned to Andrew Carnegie, a well -known pattern of the arts at that time.
Carnegie was more interested in literature and the construction of libraries, but his wife was a music lover. Through it, they managed to interest him in the idea of ​​financing what became Carnegie Hall.
However, it was a risky company: the hall was far from the city center in downtown New York, and the roads were poor. It was feared that few people would like to make the trip, so it was decided to invite Tchaikovsky, the most famous musician in the world, to attend a five -day festival, which he would lead.
Denis von Meck, descendant of Tchaikovsky and founder of the Von Meck Foundation
UN news: How did Tchaikovsky arrive in Tchaikovsky in the United States?
Denis von Meck: When Tchaikovsky composed his first piano concert in 1875, dedicated it to Nikolai Rubinstein, its director at the Moscow Conservatory and an outstanding pianist. However, Rubinstein demanded changes and, when Tchaikovsky declined, he refused to do it.
Tchaikovsky resorted to several musicians to play the concert, including Hans von Bülow, German director and pianist, who agreed. The first performance took place in Boston and the second in New York.
Walter Damrosch, one of the leading German directors and musicians of the time, listened to him in New York and asked Tchaikovsky more music. As a result, his works became widely circulated, and became extremely popular in the United States, much more than in Europe and, perhaps, even more than in Russia.
This success was a very pleasant surprise for Tchaikovsky, who left the United States with many great memories and positive words about the country.
UN news: If you look at Wikipedia’s article on Tchaikovsky in English, there is an audio recording since 1890, which is believed to contain your voice. As an expert in the composer, do you think this is authentic?
Denis von Meck: Yes, he is genuine. It was made at the end of his life, in the first days of sound recordings, and is also available on YouTube. The researchers of the Tchaikovsky Museum in Klin could completely decipher the words and also identify all the participants.