Tchaikovsky intended 'The Seasons' for amateur players of varying ability, ensuring most pieces were technically accessible to a modestly competent pianist.
Compositional Technique
The original titles for 'The Seasons' were 'Twelve Characteristic Pieces', and the more familiar title was attached later by Jurgenson in his 1885 edition.
Performer Biography
Yuan Sheng, the pianist on this recording, has gained international recognition through extensive performances in over twenty countries, including Carnegie Hall in New York and Cadogan Hall in London.
Performer Biography
Yuan Sheng is recognized as a premier interpreter of Bach's music in China, with The New York Times praising his Bach performances as 'models of clarity, balance and proportion.'
Recording & Production
This recording was made in October 2017 at the Recording Studio of China Record Corporation in Beijing, China, and features a Steinway piano.
Composition History
Tchaikovsky's 'The Seasons' was commissioned by the St Petersburg musical journal Nuvellist, which offered a series of pieces specially written for each of the following year's monthly issues.
Composition History
Tchaikovsky received a fee of two hundred roubles for 'The Seasons', which was considered generous, especially compared to the eight hundred roubles he would receive for his ballet 'Swan Lake'.
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