1840–1893 · Romantic
18 works
Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk and graduated from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1865. He taught at the Moscow Conservatory until 1878, after which Nadezhda von Meck supported him for thirteen years so that he could compose. His Western training set him apart from the nationalist group called The Five, yet his themes range from Western-style lines to Russian folk-style tunes and real folk songs. The Second Symphony (Little Russian) uses Ukrainian songs, including The Crane in the finale; the main theme of the First Piano Concerto's Allegro is a melody he heard from blind lyre players near Kyiv. Dance rhythms, the waltz in particular, run through his symphonies.
Several works tell a story or follow a play: the Romeo and Juliet fantasy-overture (suggested by Balakirev in 1869), The Tempest, Hamlet and the 1812 Overture, with its cannon and bells. Others use a recurring idea: the "fate" fanfare of the Fourth Symphony, and the motto that appears in all four movements of the Fifth.
The catalog also holds a Mozart-inspired side: the Serenade for Strings, whose first movement imitates Mozart, and the Rococo Variations for cello and a reduced orchestra. The Violin Concerto, the Souvenir de Florence sextet, the Nutcracker Suite, the piano pieces The Seasons and Dumka, and the Sixth Symphony of 1893 complete the picture.
Sources: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Wikipedia), Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky) (Wikipedia), Symphony No. 5 (Tchaikovsky) (Wikipedia), Symphony No. 4 (Tchaikovsky) (Wikipedia), Symphony No. 2 (Tchaikovsky) (Wikipedia), Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky) (Wikipedia), Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky) (Wikipedia), 1812 Overture (Wikipedia), Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky) (Wikipedia), Variations on a Rococo Theme (Wikipedia)
TchaikovskySymphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 13TchaikovskyRomeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture, TH 42TchaikovskySymphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 17TchaikovskyThe Tempest, Op. 18TchaikovskyPiano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor, Op. 23TchaikovskySymphony No. 3 in D major, Op. 29TchaikovskyThe Seasons: June, Op. 37a No. 6TchaikovskyVariations on a Rococo Theme in A major, Op. 33 / TH 57 (Fitzenhagen version)TchaikovskySymphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36TchaikovskyViolin Concerto in D major, Op. 35Tchaikovsky1812 Overture, Op. 49TchaikovskySerenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48TchaikovskyDumka, Op. 59TchaikovskyHamlet, Fantasy-Overture in F minor, Op. 67TchaikovskySymphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64TchaikovskySouvenir de Florence, Op. 70TchaikovskyThe Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71aTchaikovskySymphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74Path 02
Twelve symphonies from Mozart's Fortieth to Shostakovich's Fifth, the core of the concert repertoire.
Mozart → Haydn → Beethoven → Schubert → Berlioz → Mendelssohn → Brahms → Mahler → Tchaikovsky → Dvořák → Shostakovich
Path 11
Soloist and orchestra across two and a half centuries, from Bach's harpsichord to Rostropovich's cello.
Bach → Vivaldi → Mozart → Beethoven → Mendelssohn → Tchaikovsky → Dvořák → Rachmaninoff → Ravel → Shostakovich
Path 12
Eleven short pieces from Field to Grieg, each holding one mood.
Field → Schubert → Mendelssohn → Chopin → Schumann → Liszt → Tchaikovsky → Rachmaninoff → Brahms → Grieg
Path 16
From Glinka to Shostakovich: a century of Russian music, in the order it was written.
Glinka → Balakirev → Mussorgsky → Borodin → Rimsky-Korsakov → Tchaikovsky → Rachmaninoff → Scriabin → Prokofiev → Shostakovich
Path 22
Ten violin concertos, from Beethoven's of 1806 to Sibelius's of 1904.
Beethoven → Paganini → Mendelssohn → Wieniawski → Bruch → Lalo → Brahms → Tchaikovsky → Dvořák → Sibelius
Path 26
Twelve overtures from Mozart's Figaro to Bernstein's Candide, each a complete piece in a few minutes.
Mozart → Beethoven → Rossini → Weber → Mendelssohn → Wagner → Berlioz → Offenbach → Brahms → Tchaikovsky → Bernstein
