Preserving Tchaikovsky’s legacy: a translation and critical commentary on Kirill Kondrashin’s interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies
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Abstract
This dissertation presents the first English translation and critical commentary of On the Conductor’s Interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies, a pedagogical text by Soviet conductor Kirill Kondrashin. Originally published in 1976 and based on a series of lectures, the book offers a rare window into Soviet rehearsal practices, interpretive philosophy, and the institutional transmission of performance knowledge. Although long valued by musicians in post-Soviet countries, Kondrashin’s book has remained largely inaccessible to international readers due to linguistic and contextual barriers.The translation included in this dissertation covers the chapters on Tchaikovsky’s Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Symphonies. Each chapter is annotated to clarify rehearsal terminology, historical references, and interpretive assumptions embedded in the original. Special attention is given to Kondrashin’s distinctive use of metaphor and rhetorical language, as well as to the rehearsal-based idioms and conductor-specific vocabulary that permeate the text. The translator’s commentary draws on professional conducting experience within both post-Soviet and American academic traditions, offering a contextualized rendering that preserves the immediacy of Kondrashin’s voice while making it legible to a broader readership.
The project also examines the editorial history and publication discrepancies between different Soviet printings of the book, as well as the ideological and cultural frameworks that shaped Kondrashin’s analyses. The result is not only a translation, but a scholarly edition that situates the text within contemporary performance studies and the historiography of Russian musical interpretation.
This dissertation contributes to the field by modeling an approach to translating conductor-authored literature that integrates linguistic precision with disciplinary insight. It foregrounds the value of situated, practice-based knowledge in performance pedagogy and opens a path for engaging with previously inaccessible repertories of rehearsal discourse. As both a document of its era and a living pedagogical resource, On the Conductor’s Interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies holds enduring relevance for musicians, educators, and scholars alike.
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2025