- The Tempest – Symphonic Fantasy after Shakespeare is a symphonic poem (an orchestral work based on an extra-musical idea; also called a tone poem) based on the Shakespeare play. It was written as “a collage of sound pictures.”
- The work premiered in Moscow in 1873, conducted by Tchaikovsky’s longtime mentor and colleague, Nikolay Rubinstein.1
- Tchaikovsky was an avid reader and passionate theatergoer, so it comes as no surprise that the composer used works by Shakespeare as inspiration for several of his works. His most famous Shakespearean contribution is his Romeo and Juliette: Fantasy Overture.2
Synopsis for the Shakespeare play, The Tempest
Sources
- Roland John Wiley, “Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Il′yich,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed August 5, 2022, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000051766.
- Simon Callow, Essay in accompanying booklet, Tchaikovsky & Shakespeare performed by the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Deutsche Grammophon 15296, 2011, compact disc.
Cut IDs
40641 45890 15674