Conductor,
B. WALTON O'DONNELL
Although very few of the operas written by Auber are heard anywhere today, the overtures to these operas are as popular as ever. The Fairy Lake was produced in 1839 on a text by Scribe, the prolific dramatist who collaborated for forty years with Auber. The overture to this opera shows not only Auber's invariable skill as a dramatist in music, but it is one of the most graceful of his overtures.
Towards the end of 1872 Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother that his Second Symphony was nearing .completion and that he was unable to think of anything else : ' It seems to me to .be my best work, at least as regards correctness of form. a quality for which I have not so far distinguished myself.' It was performed early in the following year with great success. Known as the Little Russian Symphony because the finale is based on a little Russian folk-song called ' The Crane ' it is quite a charming work but the music is not so original and powerful as that of the later symphonies The last movement has always been the popular one.