Snegurochka, "The Snow Maiden", is a Russian fairy-tale play by Alexander Ostrovsky. It tells the story of the divine Snow Maiden who makes the mistake of falling in love with a mortal, only to then become subject to the rays of the sun -- with predictable and lamentable results. It's one of many folk tales from various traditions which examine the grave dangers of immortals and mortals trying to join their lives together. Not incidentally, it also shows the dangers of wishing for something that you really can't or shouldn't have.
Well-known, at least by name, is Rimsky-Korsakov's operatic version of the play. If the complete opera is not heard outside of Russia, the orchestral suite which the composer prepared from it is certainly familiar to many people.
Just recently, I stumbled across a Chandos recording from 1994, conducted in Detroit by Neeme Jarvi, of the incidental music which Tchaikovsky composed for the play's premiere. It was the first time I had ever heard of Tchaikovsky having any connection with this story!
I popped the record on to listen, and was immediately hooked. This is a fairly early Tchaikovsky work, his Op. 12, and it predates all the famous concertos, the three great ballets, and all the symphonies except #s 1 and 2. Four years after composing The Snow Maiden music, Tchaikovsky produced his finest opera, Eugene Onegin, and I was immediately reminded of that work as I sat down to listen to The Snow Maiden.
This resemblance is due in no small measure to the fact that much of The Snow Maiden consists of vocal solos and choral movements. The melodic style, harmony, and orchestration of these numbers, the very innate "Russian-ness" of the musical world, definitely point the way towards Onegin. Right from the Dance and Chorus of the Birds which follows the introduction, the tone is set. The lively chattering woodwinds introduce a folk-like melody which, as folk tunes tend to do, simply repeats its phrases over and over, relying on masterly orchestration to sustain interest. The programme notes, by the way, point out the use of over a dozen actual folk songs in the music, without specifying whether this is one of them. However, Tchaikovsky was certainly a good enough melodist to be more than capable of writing a tune in folk-song style!
A key character in the story is Lel, the shepherd who introduces the Snow Maiden into the mortal world. She has three songs in all, and two of them use authentic folk tunes.
The score is laced with instrumental movements which served as introductions and entr'actes. In these Tchaikovsky demonstrated his already-advanced gifts in orchestration, especially the use of the woodwinds for their specific colours. A "Jester's Dance" provides a lively contrast, reaching back to the musical world of the second symphony and forward to the first act of Swan Lake.
The choral movements are the ones where the score is at its most "Onegin-ish". The harmonies are laid out mostly in block chords, the choral sound generally used as a single 4-part mass.
The entire score runs to just a few seconds under 80 minutes. It may not be absolutely top-drawer Tchaikovsky all the way, but the composer retained a strong fondness for this music -- and no wonder. It has a kind of spring-time freshness and brilliance which makes it unique in his output The brooding melancholy of so many of his later scores is almost entirely absent, in spite of the unhappy ending of the Snow Maiden herself.
The excellence of the playing and singing makes this record self-recommending. Any Tchaikovsky fan should certainly investigate this release, still available through the Chandos records website!
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