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After its completion Tchaikovsky considered his opera Cherevichki “his finest work”. Cherevichki is vintage Tchaikovsky, the master of miniature: fantasy, colour, wit, charm and folkloristic elements, fused together into the great form of a large scale opera.

A superb live performance with vibrant Russian voices, directed by veteran Gennadi Rozhdestvensky.

A “10/10” for this production from ClassicsToday.com! Issued in the Brilliant Classics Opera Collection.

Despite Tchaikovsky’s conviction that his eighth complete opera – Cherevichki – was his ‘finest work’, deserving of a prime place in the opera repertoire, listeners outside Russia have never demonstrated the enthusiasm and appreciation that the composer evidently felt was merited. After its initial performances, Cherevichki was not staged again during Tchaikovsky’s lifetime, but as this fine release – one of the only recordings on the market today – attests, the work is ripe for rediscovery.

A revision of the earlier work Vakula the Smith, the opera tells the story of Vakula, whose courtship of his beloved Oksana is thwarted by Bes, a devil. Oksana will only give her love in exchange for the Tsarina’s shoes, so Vakula embarks upon a journey to the palace, where he hopes to outsmart Bes’s diabolical schemes and obtain the shoes through his own cunning. Although listeners will be delighted by the moments of luminous orchestral beauty, sumptuous arias and sparkling dances that are such a familiar part of Tchaikovsky’s music, Cherevichki is surprising for its humour, which reveals the composer’s masterful talent for characterisation.

Blending comedy, fantasy, colour, elegance and allusions to Russian folksong, Cherevichki gives voice to the many facets of Tchaikovsky’s compositional skill. With this fantastic new addition to the Brilliant Classics Opera Collection, listeners can rediscover one of his forgotten operatic masterpieces, performed with skill and imagination under the esteemed direction of Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

The complete 4 Orchestral Suites of Tchaikovsky on 2 CD’s. Tchaikovsky’s Suites are his most “western” works, his imagination and creativity set free from the restrictions of formal genres (symphonies, sonatas). They contain delightful music, with hints of ballet music and inspirations from other composers (the 4th suite Mozartiana is based on themes by Mozart). Performed with wit, charm, transparency and gusto by Sir Neville Marriner and the Stuttgart RSO. Born in the small town of Votkinsk in 1840, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky achieved considerable renown during his own lifetime and is today hailed as one of the world’s best-loved composers.

Having initially studied law before enrolling at the St Petersburg Conservatory aged 22, he is best remembered for his symphonies, operas and ballets; ranking among his lesser-known creations, however, are the Four Orchestral Suites, to which this excellent two-disc set is dedicated. The works are best viewed as an outlet for unrestricted musical fantasy, and indeed Tchaikovsky wrote to his patron Nadezhda von Meck that he valued the genre of the orchestral suite precisely because of the ‘freedom … it leaves the composer not to be bound by all sorts of traditions.’ Composed in 1878–9 and 1883 respectively, Nos. 1 and 2 descend from the Baroque model, with Tchaikovsky paying homage to Bach and Telemann through the use of such idiomatic devices as the fugue – as heard in the opening movement of the First Orchestral Suite. Whereas the Second is distinguished for its careful attention to texture (including the addition of four accordions), the Third (1884) is particularly lauded for its Theme and Variations finale – a movement that was often performed on its own, such was its universal popularity. Taking the form of a musical tribute to the composer Tchaikovsky most admired is the ‘Mozartiana’ Suite, written in 1887.

A work that faithfully adapts some of the Austrian’s best-known compositions, it presents a charming conclusion to an engaging cycle which – brimming with all the hallmarks of the Russian’s style – is performed with authority under the expert baton of Sir Neville Marriner. All in all, this compilation is a must-buy for anyone wishing to delve deeper into the rich world of 19th-century orchestral music.

Tchaikovsky wrote relatively little chamber music. Three string quartets, the Piano Trio and the Sextet form the bulk of his chamber music, and all the quartets date from before his 40th year. He had attempted a quartet as early as 1865, and the expansive opening movement is all that remains, and it is included in this set.

The Quartet No.1 created quite a stir at its premiere in 1871, not only because the audience included the great novelist Turgenev, but also due to the fact that it was actually the first string quartet by a Russian composer. The second movement, Andante cantabile, has become one of the composer’s best loved tunes, and when Tolstoy heard it some five years after the premiere he was moved to tears. Interestingly Tchaikovsky used a traditional folk song tune that has some especially trite words about a drunk tempting a maiden to bed! The Third Quartet has a grief-stricken slow movement with a specially memorable melody, written as a tribute to the Czech violinist Ferdinand Laub who had died in 1875. Laub had taken part in the premieres of the First and Second Quartets and had become a close friend of the composer. The great String Sextet dates from 1890, just after Tchaikovsky had completed his opera The Queen of Spades – he was exhausted and under great pressure. Although written when the composer was in Florence, the work is a truly Russian one, with little or no Italian influences. This 2CD set is rounded off with some early works for string combinations, all dating from 1873/4. They are all delightfully melodic and charming.

A superb value set featuring Rozhdestvensky conducting Symphonies Nos. 4–6, Simonov conducting Symphony No.2, and Fedoseyev conducting Nos.1 & 3. Gibson conducts the famous 1812 Overture, and Temirkanov delivers a passionate Romeo and Juliet. Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 1–6 and ‘Manfred’ Symphony (after Byron) encapsulate the composer’s struggle with his own creative genius.

Both No.1 and No.2 were revised following their initial performances, due to the composer’s dissatisfaction with their original states. Despite this, the Symphony No.1 (‘Winter Daydreams’) is a delightful work, the most optimistic of the six, while the Symphony No.2 (‘Little Russian’) is unique for its nationalistic edge, although it relies upon Ukrainian folk tunes, not Russian. The composer was, however, satisfied with the two symphonies that followed, although the Symphony No.3 ‘Polish’ remains the least well known of the cycle, displaying his indebtedness to Western European models, notably Schumann whose Symphony No.3 was also in five movements. Symphony No.4 is generally recognised as Tchaikovsky’s first symphonic masterpiece. Written during a time of great stress, its composition offered him an escape from his near breakdown, and he considered it one of his best creations. Tchaikovsky was less pleased with the outcome of his 5th Symphony.

He wrote ‘I have written myself out… no ideas, no inclination… That symphony is repellent… it will never please the public’.

Despite this, it is the most performed of his symphonies and widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonies of all time. He commenced his Symphony No.6, which was to be his final composition, in 1893; it is a sombre work, of which he wrote ‘Without exaggeration, I have put my whole soul into this work’. Within 9 days he was dead – officially from cholera (an unlikely cause of death in the middle and upper classes), which caused rumour to spread that he had, in fact, taken his own life. The 6th subsequently gained the title ‘Pathétique’. This comprehensive set contains performances by some of the great Tchaikovsky interpreters and, in addition to the symphonies, contains the overtures, Capriccio italien and the enduringly popular Marche slave.

The cello, with its deep melancholic timbre, touched a sensitive chord with Tchaikovsky. He wrote some beautiful concertante works for this instrument, which are gathered here complete on one CD.

The most famous are the Rococo variations, taking a gallant theme as the basis for a fascinating set of variations in widely varying moods.

Beautiful performances, full of Russian Soul by Alexander Rudin (a pupil of Daniil Shafran).

Here’s another fine disc, unavailable for some time, now receiving a new lease of life, and with no significant competition. It’s true that the complete works for cello and orchestra amount to less than half this disc’s duration, comprising as they do a couple of miniatures (the Pezzo Capriccioso and Nocturne) and the evergreen Rococo Variations. But the first point of importance is that the fine Russian cellist Alexander Rudin plays the original version of the score, and not the much more widely available piece of well-meaning butchery by a cellist of Tchaikovsky’s own time,Wilhelm Fitzenhagen. Fitzenhagen fiddled around with the order of the variations and left one out altogether, as well as somewhat simplifying the composer’s original and strenuous but effective demands upon the soloist. A return to the original reveals what we have been missing in the way of a rather more substantial and coherent work, and there are but one or two rival versions on the market.

In addition, Rudin complements the Variations with the gorgeous interlude from Swan Lake that features a solo cello, as well as an arrangement of the famous Andante cantabile from the First String Quartet. He then conducts this Muscovy orchestra himself in the Serenade for Strings. Alexander Rudin was born in 1960 and studied with the cello legend Daniil Shafran. His pedigree in this music is impeccable.

60 CD + CD-ROM

A high voltage set capturing the inner passion of the Russian soul, from the light-footed ballets to the tormented Pathetique Symphony, from a delicate song to the explosions of Overture 1812, the Tchaikovsky Edition includes the complete symphonies, complete concertos, complete ballets, complete suites, complete piano works, complete string quartets, complete songs and 8 operas (sung in Russian, by Russian singers)

Includes performances of legendary Russian artists, such as Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Evgeny Kissin, and conductors Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Evgeny Mravinsky, Yuri Simonov, Vladimir Fedoseyev.

Includes rare historical recordings of great collector’s value.

A comprehensive survey of Tchaikovsky’s output, spanning 60CDs with a CD-ROM containing comprehensive booklet notes, and sung texts.

This set also contains historical recordings from great interpreters including Ernest Ansermet in performances of the 6th Symphony and the three great ballets. Byron Janis plays the 1st Piano Concerto, Shura Cherkassky in the 2nd, and Michael Ponti in the Taneyev reconstruction of the 3rd concerto. The Oistrakh Trio perform the Piano Trio, The 1st concerto again in performances by Lev Oborin and Emil Gilels, Sviatoslav Richter and Yevgeny Kissin. Leonid Kogan and David Oistrakh can be heard in the Violin Concerto.

In addition to these fascinating documents the 6 symphonies, all the chamber music, songs and piano works can be heard in modern recordings. The operas are presented in historical Russian recordings from the Bolshoi with some great Russian voices of the 20th century.

‘I attend Mass frequently. The liturgy of St John Chrysostom is one of the most exalted works of art. Anyone following the liturgy of the Greek Orthodox service attentively trying to comprehend the meaning of each ceremony will be stirred to the very depth of his being. I am also very fond of evening prayers. There is nothing like entering an ancient church on a Saturday, standing in the semi-darkness with the scent of incense wafting through the air, lost in deep contemplation to find an answer to those perennial questions: wherefore, when, whither and why?’ These are the words of Tchaikovsky writing to his patron Nadezhda von Meck (who he never met), and he continued, ‘As you can see, I am still bound to the Church by strong ties, but on the other hand I have long ceased to believe in the dogma … this constant inner struggle would be enough to drive me out of my mind were it not for music, that great comforter, the most exquisite gift Heaven has bestowed on a mankind living in darkness.’

Like Rachmaninoff a few years later, Tchaikovsky had ceased to be a true believer, but he was still drawn to the Church, and was deeply moved by the music of the Orthodox Church. In his case, the conflict between the Church and his homosexuality must have added to his spiritual turmoil. However, he produced some of his most personal and moving music in this setting of the liturgy of the fourth century Patriarch of Constantinople, St John Chrysostom. Although the work met with a mixed response upon its premiere in 1880, this usually ultrasensitive and self-critical composer was not unduly concerned by the criticism. He knew he had produced a masterpiece, and commented that the performance was one of the happiest moments of his life.

An atmospheric live recording of Tchaikovsky’s opera The Oprichnik, with wonderful, full blooded Russian voices, and the inimitable Gennady Rozhdestvensky conducting. Tchaikovsky wrote the libretto for the opera himself, set in the 16th Century, the tumultuous period in Russian history of Ivan the Terrible. Hardly any competition for this release, a must for the opera aficionado and Tchaikovsky fan! Extensive synopsis included in the booklet.

This live recording of one of Tchaikovsky’s least-known operas derives from a live production of a staging by Graham Vick in Cagliari, Sicily. It features the always quirky musicianship of Gennady Rozhdestvensky, whose musical appetite for the curio and the unfamiliar is apparently insatiable.

He conducts a cast of real Russian singers, most of them stalwarts at the Bolshoi, with voices that come from the long tradition of Lisitsian, Chaliapin and Vishnevskaya, including the rich mezzo of Irina Dolzhenko and imposing bass of Vsevolod Grivnov. The opera itself tells the tale of Andrey, who joins the eponymous oprichnik (the tsar’s mercenary retinue, set up to assert his power against the boyars) in order to pursue or defend a family feud. Crossed lovers and curses ensue; the end is inevitably tragic, with not only Andrey coming to a sticky end but also his widowed mother. As his first surviving completed opera, first performed in 1876,The Oprichnik is full of tell-tale signs of the great dramatic composer which Tchaikovsky would become in Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades.

In the field of choral music Tchaikovsky is known as the first Russian composer to have composed cycles of the Liturgy and the Vespers, but his considerable output of secular choral music is less well-known, and a delightful surprise. These secular choruses are little jewels, written for various types of choir, with all the familiar qualities of melody and rich harmony that we associate with Tchaikovsky.

Some, including Autumn, Child’s Song and A Legend (from 16 Children’s Songs Op.54), and the pastoral Dawn were written for solo voice or duet, and Night, a vocal quartet with piano, but Tchaikovsky soon realised that they sounded better as choruses. Autumn and Child’s Song both have a tenor solo, and contrast well with each other: a misty autumnal poem of lethargic melancholy and a comical, playful little ditty. Another highlight is the melancholy Old French Air, with its timeless charm, which also appears as a minstrel’s song in Tchaikovsky’s opera The Maid of Orleans. Other works of note include the radiant Nature and Love, a sentimental trio for soprano, mezzo and contralto, three-part female chorus and piano, and the meditative nocturne Before Sleep, composed in his student years. Greeting to Anton Rubinstein is an extraordinary seven part piece written for the 50th anniversary of Rubinstein’s career.

The Nightingale is without a doubt Tchaikovsky’s finest achievement in choral music, a magnificent reconstruction of a folk song. The vocal quartet Night is a tribute to Mozart, who Tchaikovsky idolised, and is an arrangement of the middle section of Mozart’s Fantasy in C minor for piano. The finale, Neapolitan Air, is a little choral divertissement whose tune was derived from Swan Lake.