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Rating: I continue my commitment to highlight the "lesser" symphonies of Tchaikovsky with the listening and commentary of his second symphony, known as the "Little Russian," which, from the very first notes, reveals a certain beauty, particularly due to the notable fact that it is unrecognized and virtually absent from the symphonic programs of modern theaters. In short, the "classic" rare gem worth rediscovering, if my humble review could suffice, sic!
But let me proceed in order with the necessary historical context. Peter composed his second symphony six years after the first one and four years after its triumphant premiere. He was already 32 years old, and certainly, his creativity had increased judging by the result, and probably with it also his demands for musical innovation, which honestly had been minimal in the first symphonic episode, so close to Borodin's folklore. We are in 1872 in Ukraine, where, during the warm summer of the "Little Russia," as the region was then called, our hero is on vacation with family, immersed in the perfect environment for bringing this work to life, which was practically performed almost immediately in February 1873, again in Moscow and again under the direction of Nikolai Rubinstein: an evident sign that Tchaikovsky's recognition, at least in his homeland, had decidedly grown compared to the first episode. Once again, immediate success was not lacking for the author, but despite this, his perfectionism led him to revise and integrate the symphony not less than twice, so much so that the version (rarely) performed today is the last conceived by his genius, dated over ten years after the original. Interestingly, some of his followers and supporters considered it worse than his debut symphony, particularly referring to the Allegro of the 1st movement: a cause of further turmoil for the composer, who was never very steadfast in his musical convictions!
But to get to the point, the symphony presents the classic division into four movements, the first of which is opened by the solo horn playing a (catchy) motif drawn from Ukrainian folk music; soon accompanied by a light pizzicato of the violins and the overall development by the entire orchestra, representing the main theme (perhaps a bit too insistent?!) of the entire symphony and making way for the Allegro that concludes sadly with the "farewell" of the oboe.
The second movement opens gently with the Andantino Marziale, a piece revised and developed by Tchaikovsky from the wedding march contained in the opera "Undina," composed in his youth but never published due to the substantial aversion of imperial authorities towards such works, deemed not very "traditional"; and it ends equally moderately, marked by the rhythm of the timpani.
The third movement is certainly the most successful part of the symphony, perhaps because it was conceived as its central and main part, not subject to adaptations or revisions like the previous two; in fact, at times, it will remind you of the more mature Tchaikovsky, or if you will, the one more familiar to us, full of musical colors and dialogue between different orchestral groups. The Scherzo is indeed the part that gives the symphony its nickname of "Little Russian," recalling the Ukrainian folk theme "The Crane."
The closing movement, defined as "Moderato Assai," evidently connects to the Beethoven tradition only to soon make way for the Allegro Vivo (assai) so emphatic and even redundant in the winds and percussion, a decidedly vigorous part that certainly catered to the Russian musical taste of the time and will highlight the qualities of your audio system, as it reprises the central theme of the symphony, bringing it to a brilliant conclusion with a triumph of cymbals and even a final gong! (perhaps a bit too insistent?).
In conclusion and to summarize, we are faced with a step forward compared to the first symphony, which is also shorter among other things, but not yet pronounced enough to be called a masterpiece. As for the previous review, I referred to the performance by Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic, published by Decca in 1970 along with the complete works of the great Russian composer. The rating follows accordingly and is once again rounded down, but if decimals were considered, it would be better than the one assigned to the first symphony.
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