PETER IL'YICH TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)

1

Festival Overture on the Danish National Hymn, Op. 15

13:10

Hamlet, Op. 67bis

49:16

Overture and incidental music

2

Overture

10:03

ACT I

3

Scene 1: Mélodrame

1:34

Moderato assai

First appearance of Ghost

4

Scene 4: Fanfare

0:22

Allegro vivo

'A Flourish of Trumpets'

5

Scene 4: Mélodrame

0:41

Moderato assai

Appearance of Ghost to Hamlet

6

Scene 5: Mélodrame

3:07

Allegro giusto ed agitato

The Ghost tells Hamlet of his father's death

ACT II

7

Entr'acte

3:02

Allegro semplice

Prelude to Scene 1 and first appearance in the play of Ophelia

8

Scene 2: Fanfare

0:21

'A Room in the Castle' - 'Flourish'

First appearance of King, Queen, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and Attendants

ACT III

9

Entr'acte

3:16

Andante quasi allegretto

Prelude to Scene 1 which features Hamlet's soliloquy

'To be or not to be'

10

Scene 2: Fanfare

0:10

'A Flourish' - Enter King, Queen, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, Guildenstern and others

11

Scene 2: Fanfare

0:15

'The Dumb Show enters'

12

Scene 2: Mélodrame

2:04

Allegro giusto ed agitato

The Players enact the Scene of the Poisoning

ACT IV

13

Entr'acte

7:12

Andante non troppo ('Elegy for Strings')

Prelude to Scene 1 - 'A Room in the Castle'

14

Scene 5: Scène d'Ophélie*

2:24

Andantino

'Elsinore' - Ophelia's 'Mad Scene'

15

Scene 5: Deuxième scène d'Ophélie*

2:07

Moderato

'Re-enter Ophelia, fantastically dressed with straws and flowers'

ACT V

16

Entr'acte

5:27

Marcia. Moderato assai

Prelude to Scene 1 - 'A Churchyard'

17

Scene 1: Chant du Fossoyeur†

0:54

Andantino

18

Scene 1: Marche funèbre

4:36

Marcia. Moderato assai

'Funeral March' - 'Enter Priests and others in procession; the Corpse of Ophelia; Laertes and Mourners following: King, Queen and their Trains'

19

Scene 2: Fanfare

0:21

Allegro giusto

'Trumpets sound'

20

Scene 2: Marche finale

0:43

Allegro risoluto ma non troppo

Janis Kelly soprano*

Derek Hammond-Stroud baritone†

Geoffrey Simon

January 1981