Tchaikovsky's (1840-1893) "The Seasons," Op. 37bis [1876], is a work "serialized" in the St. Petersburg monthly magazine Nouvellist (The Novelist), consisting of twelve short pieces corresponding to the twelve months. It is a unique work that vividly depicts not only the nature of the seasons but also the lives of the common people, and its music consistently breathes Tchaikovsky's warm gaze upon the nature and people of his homeland, Russia.

The music begins with a heartwarming domestic scene ("January: By the Hearth"), and with the festive bustle ("February: Carnival") and the arrival of spring and the awakening of nature, it portrays natural scenes and the accompanying human emotions ("March: Song of the Lark," "April: Snowdrop," "May: White Nights," "June: Barcarolle"). Subsequently, the daily lives of the common people intertwined with nature are depicted ("July: Song of the Harvester," "August: Harvest," "September: The Hunt"), but as autumn arrives, nature withers ("October: Autumn Song"). Winter returns ("November: Troika Ride"), and people conclude the year in a cheerful mood ("December: Christmas Week"). Although the titles for each piece were provided by the editor, Tchaikovsky renders these scenes with tender musical language, as if cherishing the passing seasons. Most pieces begin in a related key to the preceding one, creating an effect where the music of the next month emerges from the lingering resonance, which contributes to the perception of a grand flow throughout the year.

Incidentally, "The Seasons" was composed with a highly orchestral conception, with occasional passages suggesting specific instruments. Therefore, appreciating it with an awareness of its orchestration might double the enjoyment of listening. Indeed, in the 20th century, the Soviet conductor and composer Alexander Gauk (1893-1963) orchestrated it, and recordings by Svetlanov and others are available. One can only dream how wonderful it would have been if Tchaikovsky's own orchestral version had survived.

January: By the Hearth (A major)

This is heartwarming music reminiscent of a string quartet, evoking someone pondering by the warmth of the hearth.

February: Carnival (D major)

A large-scale tutti, augmented by percussion, depicts the festive revelry of the people. A long cresc. vividly portrays a procession approaching from a distance.

March: Song of the Lark (G minor)

The quiet chirping of a lark resonates in the clear sky. The interplay of clarinet, bassoon, and flute, sung over the lush harmony of the strings, is exquisitely beautiful.

April: Snowdrop (B-flat major)

Known as "snowdrop" in Japanese, this flower is said to herald spring. True to its flower language, "hope," the joy of spring and awakening nature is sung with hope, carried by the light rhythm of the wind instruments.

May: White Nights (G major)

Enveloped in the pure white sound of the harp, this gentle and clear music depicts the sense of liberation and the emotion inspired by the beauty of summer's white nights (which, by the current calendar, occur in June).

June: Barcarolle (G minor)

This is one of Tchaikovsky's most beloved piano pieces, a masterpiece where the gently swaying accompaniment figure serves as a metaphor for waves, romantically singing of the rapture of gazing at the summer starry sky from a rocking boat.

July: Song of the Harvester (E-flat major)

A tranquil, folk-like song is sung to the rhythm of reapers swinging their scythes.

August: Harvest (B minor)

This music, reminiscent of the Scherzo from the Fourth Symphony played solely by string pizzicato, depicts the bustling activity of people gathering crops. The calm middle section offers a brief respite.

September: The Hunt (G major)

Trumpets and the "hunting instrument," the horn (bugle), resound loudly, powerfully depicting an autumn hunting scene. The triplet rhythm is a metaphor for the hunt.

October: Autumn Song (D minor)

The melancholy of autumn is sung with affection by the oboe and cello. The duet in the middle section seems to recall happy days.

November: Troika Ride (E major)

A troika (a three-horse sleigh) gallops briskly across the vast Russian snowfield, transformed into a silver world, accompanied by the sound of bells. Is the sf in the middle section a metaphor for a whip? This is a famous piece, also beloved by Rachmaninoff.

December: Christmas Week (A-flat major)

This refers to the Epiphany season, from Christmas to January 6th, depicting a quiet festive mood along with anticipation for the New Year, concluding the year with a warm lingering resonance.

Furthermore, each piece in "The Seasons" is prefaced by a poetic epigraph, which helps the listener expand their imagination.

By the Hearth — January

• A quiet, peaceful corner
• Faintly enveloped by the night's darkness.
• A faint flame in the fireplace,
• A burnt-out candle with its wick. — Pushkin

Carnival — February

• Soon will burst forth
• The lively Carnival's
• Grand revelry. — Vyazemsky

Song of the Lark — March

• The fields sway with ripples of flowers,
• Waves of light flow in the sky,
• And the songs of spring larks
• Fill the endless blue. — Maykov

Snowdrop — April

• Light blue, pure
• Snowdrop flowers,
• Beside them, transparent,
• Fading snow.
• To past sorrows,
• Shedding the last tears,
• For the first time, one dreams
• Of another happiness. — Maykov

White Nights — May

• What a night full of peace!
• Thank you, northern homeland!
• From the kingdom covered in ice,
• From the kingdom where snow falls,
• May,
• How refreshingly,
• How vividly you take flight! — Fet

Barcarolle — June

• Let's go to the shore.
• The waves will kiss our feet,
• And a star of secret sorrow
• Will shine above us. — Pleshcheyev

Song of the Harvester — July

• Shoulders, groan,
• Raise your hands!
• South wind, blow on my face! — Koltsov

Harvest — August

• People, all the family,
• Began the harvest.
• Cut down to the root,
• The tall rye!
• Sheaves were piled up
• Like mountains, tightly packed.
• From the wagons all night long,
• Music resounds. — Koltsov

The Hunt — September

• "It's time!" sounds the horn.
• Huntsmen in hunting attire
• Mount their horses before dawn,
• A pack of dogs leaps. — Pushkin

Autumn Song — October

• Autumn, our humble garden is entirely
• Covered with fallen leaves.
• Yellow leaves dance in the wind... — Tolstoy

Troika Ride — November

• Do not look at the road with sorrow,
• Do not rush to follow the troika.
• The fear that worries within your breast,
• Immediately, forever, dispel it. — Nekrasov

Christmas Week — December

• On an Epiphany evening,
• The maidens divined,
• Throwing their shoes
• Completely over the gate. — Zhukovsky

Translation by Takumi Okazaki

Text by Akira Naito

November 2008