- Capriccio Italien
The "Capriccio Italien", op. 45 is a fantasy for
orchestra composed between January and May of1880 byPyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky .The Capriccio was inspired by a trip Tchaikovsky took to
Rome , during which he saw the Carnival in full swing, and is reminiscent of Italian folk music and street songs. As these elements are treated rather freely initially he intended this piece to be called Italian Fantasyfact|date=May 2007. Tchaikovsky even uses as the introduction a bugle call that he overheard from his hotel played by Italian cavalry regiment [cite web |url=http://www.istrianet.org/istria/music/history-folklore/tchaikovsky1.htm |title=The Origins of Capriccio Italien in A Major, op. 45 (1880) |accessdate=2007-05-21] . Another source of inspiration for this piece areMikhail Glinka 's Spanish Pieces. Thepremiere was held inMoscow on December 18 of the same year; the orchestra was led byNikolai Rubinstein . Although Tchaikovsky wrote to his patronessNadezhda von Meck that the work would be successful (the piece was praised by most critics)Fact|date=April 2007 he admitted that it was not very well composed.Fact|date=April 2007Dedicated to
Karl Davidov , the "Capriccio" was later arranged by the composer for 4-handpiano . A typical performance lasts for around 15 minutes.Instrumentation
The Capriccio is scored for 3
flute s (3rd doubling onpiccolo ), 2oboe s,English horn , 2clarinet s in A, 2bassoon s, 4 horns in F, 2cornet s in A, 2trumpet s in E, 3trombone s (2 tenor, 1 bass),tuba , 3timpani , triangle,tambourine ,cymbal s,bass drum ,glockenspiel ,harp and strings.References
External links
*IMSLP2|id=Capriccio_Italien%2C_Op.45_%28Tchaikovsky%2C_Pyotr_Ilyich%29|cname=Capriccio Italien
*A MIDI recording is available at [http://laurasmidiheaven.com/Classical/cgi/index2.cgi?compchoose=Tchaikovsky,%20Pyotr%20Ilyich Laura's MIDI Heaven]
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