Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence, Serenade for Strings & Andante cantabile

Featuring

Volker Hartung
Alexej Svatlovskij
Igor Makarow
Sergej Belesow
Pavel Ulanicki
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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Performer Biography

Pavel Ulanicki, the cellist on this album, was principal cellist with the Cologne New Philharmonic from 1990 to 1995 and toured extensively throughout Europe.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Tchaikovsky, the composer, was fascinated by the music of the Viennese Classical era and owned all editions of Mozart's works, whose serenade style he honored in the first movement of the Serenade for Strings.

Performer Biography

Volker Hartung, the conductor, studied viola at the Juilliard School of Music in New York City and later conducting with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich.

Interpretation

The St. Petersburg String School, whose members are featured on this album, prioritizes beautiful sound and musical expression, cultivating a sweet, singing tone even in rapid scale passages.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky composed the String Sextet "Souvenir de Florence" during a stay in Florence, Italy, where he was also working on his opera 'Pique Dame' at the same time.

Cultural Impact

The Andante cantabile, the second movement of Tchaikovsky's String Quartet No. 1, became famous as a standalone work and moved Leo Tolstoy, the renowned Russian author, to tears when he heard it.

Compositional Technique

Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings includes a note on the original score stating, 'The more numerous the orchestra, the more will it correspond to the composer's wishes.'