Expert: David Froom - 12/8/2006

Question
Dear David
I am writing an article for a e-paper about musical fiascos. My list includes
the operas Butterfly and Barber of Seville, Respighi's Pines of Rome, Elgar's
First Symphony and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. I think I could add to this
Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto and Beethoven's 1st Symphony.
Can you help me with some other items?
Thank you very much

Answer
The only ones I can think of are:

Debussy's Jeux -- which had the misfortune of being scheduled the night after the Rite of Spring premiere;

Beethoven's Violin Concerto -- which, according to Thayer, had the soloist choosing to improvise between movements with the violin upside-down because he was afraid the audience would be bored;

Beethoven's Opus 130 String Quartet -- where the last movement (the Grosse Fuge) was so poorly received that Beethoven's publisher convinced him to write a replacement movement.

There are lots, but these stories are usually not written down.  Instead, they seem to be passed around word-of-mouth by the people who were there.

David Froom