Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48, TH 48 & Other Works

Featuring

Julian Azkoul
United Strings of Europe
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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Recording & Production

The recording for this album took place in St Silas Church, Kentish Town, London, with sessions in August 2020 for Serenade and At Bedtime, and November 2021 for Souvenir de Florence and Andante cantabile.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings was first performed as a surprise for the composer by students and professors at the Moscow Conservatory.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Tchaikovsky considered the first movement of his Serenade for Strings, 'Pezzo in forma di sonatina', an homage to Mozart, intended to imitate his style.

Compositional Technique

The Serenade for Strings' finale, 'Tema Russo', is inspired by Russian folk tunes, including 'On the Green Meadow' and 'Under the Green Apple Tree', which Tchaikovsky had previously arranged.

Composer Biography

Tchaikovsky wrote the Serenade for Strings and the 1812 Overture while intensely working to suppress sad feelings after his manservant and lover, Alyosha Sofranov, left for military service.

Performer Biography

Julian Azkoul, the violinist and director of United Strings of Europe, also curates programs, directs from the violin, and arranges music for the ensemble, with several of his arrangements featured on their albums.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky found inspiration for the second movement of Souvenir de Florence only after a trip to Florence in 1890, where he was working on his opera The Queen of Spades.