One of the most popular cello pieces, present in the repertoire of all the major cellists and orchestras in the world are the so known Rococo Variations Op. 33 by Pyotr Ilich Tchaikowski. It is hard to believe for any student or music lover that the version that most cellists play and know is actually a revision not made, or approved by the composer. The story of this great work is very troublesome and ended one of the best-or worst- cases of collaboration between a composer and a player. It is useful to remember that in the 19th century the instrumentalists were also composers and the thought of pure collaboration was a very complicated matter.

The cellist to whom the Rococo Variations were originally written was the German Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (1848-90). He was a very talented student of Theodore Muller and Fridrich Grutzmacher in Dresden. Early in his career Fitzenhagen was engaged in the Dresden Chapel Royal. His playing made such a positive impression on Franz Liszt during the Beethoven Festival at Weimar in 1870, that the Hungarian composer insisted that he stay and take a position with the city orchestra. At this time Fitzenhagen had received a more interesting offer from the Imperial Conservatory in Moscow, as cello professor, a post that he took and kept for the rest of his life. His fame as the most important cello pedagogue in Russia spread quickly, receiving talented students from all over Europe. Fitzenhagen was appointed principal cello of the Russian Imperial Musical Society and director of the Moscow Music and Orchestral Union, institutions with which he also made a solo career for himself. As a composer Fitzenhagen produced a number of pieces for cello, among them four concertos, a Suite for cello and orchestra, Salon Music and a String quartet which was awarded the St Petersburgh Chamber Music Union Prize.

Fitzenhagen and Tchaikovski had met in Russia when the cellist took part in the first performances of the composer’s three string quartets and Piano Trio. In spite of his throughout knowledge in string writing, Tchaikovski always showed some uncertainty about the instrumental parts, which in most cases he demanded they were revised by skillful players. Before printing the score of the A minor Piano Trio Tchaikovski wrote to Yurgenson, his publisher:

…it is vital that Taneyev, Hrimaly and Fitzenhagen play it through…I would very much like Karlusha (Albrecht), Kashkin, Hubert and his wife and our whole circle to be at this run-through. It is absolutely crucial that Karlusha or some other expert string player take a close look at my bow markings and make any appropiate corrections.[1]

He had a very high respect for Fitzenhagen, and always encouraged the cellist to give him his advice as far as the instrumental writing was concerned. Eager to play a solo piece by the Russian composer, Fitzenhagen commissioned a work, which he could perform at a concert of the Russian Musical Society in November 1877. The result of this interaction was the composition of the Rococo Variations, which, after a few alterations on the instrumental part, was premiered by Fitzenhagen with Nicolay Rubinstein conducting.

From the beginning Tchaikovski gave Fitzenhagen a lot of freedom in the alterations of the cello part, to the extent that in the autograph score most of the markings are in the cellist’s hand writing. Tchaikovski arranged with Jurgenson for the publication of a piano score of the work and trusted Fitzenhagen to do the final editing while he went on a trip out of Russia to recover from his recently failed marriage. With the composer away Fitzenhagen started to make substantial changes to the music, altering the original order of the variations, adding repeats and leaving out the last variation altogether. Jurgensen, who did not like what Fitzenhagen was doing, wrote to the composer in March 1878 to warn him about the alterations made:

Loathsome Fitzenhagen. He is most importunate in wishing to alter your cello piece, to make more suitable for the instrument, and he says you have given him full authority to do this. God heavens! Tchaikovski revu et corrigé par Fitzenhagen.[2]

Jurgensen eventually published Fitzenhagen’s version, since Tchaikovski himself had originally authorized the cellist for the edition of the work. Fitzenhagen gave a number of performances of his version, notable the one at the Wiesbaden Festival in June 1879, and wrote to Tchaikovski about the success of the work:

I produced a furore with your variations. I pleased so greatly that I was recalled three times, and after the Andante variation (D minor )[3] there was stormy applause. Liszt said to me: “You carried me away! You played splendidly”, and regarding your piece he observed: “Now there, at least, is real music”[4]

According to Jurgenson, Tchaikovski did not make a great deal of the alterations when the piano score appeared in 1878, only commenting that Fitzenhagen had done a bad job of the proofs. But when a full score was published in 1889 the composer was bitterly upset about Fitzenhagen’s version as commented by Anatoly Brandukov:

On one of my visits to Pyotr Ilich I found him very upset, looking as though he was ill. When I asked: “What is the matter with you?” Pyotr Illich, pointing to the writing table, said: “That idiot Fitzenhagen’s been here. Look what he’s done to my piece- he’s altered everything!” When I asked what action he was going to take concerning this composition, Pyotr Ilich replied: “The devil take it! Let it stand as it is!”[5]

Although in 1889, the year that the orchestral score appeared, Tchaikovski referred in a letter about his good feelings for Fitzenhagen, who was ill and dying, he never expressed approval for what his friend had made to his music.

The Fitzenhagen revision has since then been the standard version of the Rococo Variations, although in recent years some cellist have tried to revive the original version. Tchaikovski’s original was heard again in Moscow in 1941 played by the Russian cellist Daniel Shafran, and was published in 1956 with the alterations originally made by Fitzenhagen and approved by Tchaikovski.

It is curious that Brandukov, the friend to whom Tchaikovski comment his dislike for Fitzenhagen’s revision, was also a cellist and a student of Fitzenhagen. Tchaikovski wrote the Pezzo Capriccioso for Brandukov[6], and like master like pupil, he also made alterations on the original. Brandukov’s revisions are mainly concerned with the solo part, changing registers in some passages and introducing some virtuoso figurations. Since the cellist played this piece with the composer in various occasions, it is assumed that Tchaikovski authorized those changes.

[1] Anthony Holden:Tchaikovski. Pag 220

[2] David Brown:Tchaikovski: The Crisis Begins. Pag 121

[3] Tercera en el original y sexta en la versión de Fitzenhagen

[4]   David Brown:Tchaikovski: The Crisis Begins. Pag 121

[5]   David Brown: Tchaikovski: The Crisis Begins. Pag 122

[6] Rachmaninov dedicó su sonata para violonchelo a Brandukov