Russian Piano Music Series, Vol. 15: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Featuring

Stefania Argentieri
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Did you know?

1/7

Historical Context

Russia, during Tchaikovsky's career, lacked a strong classical musical tradition, with the nobility often disdaining Russian culture in favor of French.

Composer Biography

Tchaikovsky initially pursued law studies and worked at the Ministry of Justice in St Petersburg before deciding to change his life and become a composer.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Despite feeling "Russian to the very core of his bones," Tchaikovsky never aligned with the nationalistic "Group of Five" composers, though he used Russian and Ukrainian folk melodies in his early works.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Tchaikovsky's music is characterized by the contrast between the melancholy of existence and the aspiration to serenity, and between tragic reality and the dream that illuminates darkness.

Performer Biography

Stefania Argentieri, the pianist on this album, previously released a well-received album of Prokofiev's music, which garnered excellent critical reviews.

Composer Biography

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the composer, lost his mother at age 14 to a cholera epidemic, which deeply affected him and contributed to his emotional character.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky's Grand Sonata in G major, Op. 37, was composed in 1878, a period when he was recovering from a brief, ill-fated marriage and dealing with gossip about his homosexuality.