Throughout the music of Tchaikovsky, the key of F minor is associated with deep sadness, resignation, and the triumph of fate. F minor is the key of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, with its haunting and recurring “fate” motif.
A similar melancholy envelops Tchaikovsky’s Romance in F minor, Op. 5 for solo piano. It was composed in late 1868 around the time of Tchaikovsky’s doomed relationship with the Belgian soprano, Désirée Artôt. The first section (Andante cantabile) is gloomy and introspective. Its lamenting melody is accompanied by wrenching harmonic surprises. With a sudden turn to A-flat major, the second section is a spirited march, punctuated by bugle calls and military drumbeats. It is orchestral in character. The life affirming proclamation fades away and the Romance concludes with a desolate appoggiatura in the final bar.
This performance, recorded in April of 1983, features Soviet and Russian pianist, Sviatoslav Richter:
Recordings
- Tchaikovsky: Romance in F minor, Op. 5, Sviatoslav Richter Amazon
Featured Image: “The view of the Peter the Great’s monument on the Senatskaya square, Saint-Petersburg” (1870), Vasily Surikov