Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
(1840-1893)
Tchaikovsky at the time of Romeo and Juliet (1869)
Romeo and Juliet
(1869 - revised 1880)
Few works in all of orchestral literature capture the sweep of youthful passion and tragic fate as vividly as Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Though inspired by Romeo and Juliet, the piece is not a literal retelling of the drama. Instead, Tchaikovsky transforms Shakespeare’s story into a symphonic poem—a single-movement work that distills the play’s emotional essence into music of extraordinary immediacy…
Major Works of Tchaikovsky
SYMPHONIES
1866 Symphony No. 1 (Winter Daydreams)
1872 Symphony No. 2 (Little Russian)
1875 Symphony No. 3 (Polish)
1878 Symphony No. 4
1885 Manfred Symphony
1888 Symphony No. 5
1893 Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique)
BALLETS
1876 Swan Lake
1889 The Sleeping Beauty
1892 The Nutcracker
CONCERTOS
1875 Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb Minor
1875 Sérénade mélancolique (violin and orchestra)
1877 Rococo Variations (cello and orchestra)
1877 Valse-Scherzo (violin and orchestra)
1878 Violin Concerto in D Major
1880 Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major
1884 Concert Fantasia (piano and orchestra)
1888 Pezzo capriccioso (cello and orchestra)
1893 Piano Concerto No. 3 in Eb Major (unfinished)
OTHER ORCHESTRAL WORKS
1864 The Storm
1866 Festival Overture on the Danish Anthem
1868 Fatum
1869 Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture (rev. 1880)
1873 The Tempest
1876 Marche Slave
1876 Francesca da Rimini
1879 Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D Minor
1880 Capriccio Italien
1880 Serenade for Strings in C Major
1880 1812 Overture
1883 Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C Major
1883 Festival Coronation March
1884 Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G Major
1887 Orchestral Suite No. 4 in G Major (“Mozartiana”)
1889 Hamlet
1891 The Voyevoda
1892 The Nutcracker Suite
OPERAS
1868 The Voyevoda
1872 The Oprichnik
1874 Vakula the Smith
1878 Eugene Onegin
1879 The Maid of Orleans
1883 Mazeppa
1885 Cherevichki
1887 The Enchantress
1890 The Queen of Spades
1891 Iolanta
CHAMBER MUSIC
1864 Adagio molto in Eb for string quartet/harp
1865 String Quartet No. 1
1874 String Quartet No. 2
1876 String Quartet No. 3
1882 Piano Trio in A Minor
1890 String Sextet in D Minor (Souvenir de Florence)
TCHAIKOVSKY ON MUSIC
Here are some famous and not-so-famous quotes by the composer, giving an idea of his views on music and his colleagues.
A TCHAIKOVSKY ALBUM
A selection of paintings, photos and caricatures spanning the entire career of Tchaikovsky, replete with fascinating biographical information on the composer.
CYS Performance History:
Works by Tchaikovsky
1990 Rococo Variations (Semyon Kobialka)
1990 Capriccio Italien
1991 Violin Concerto in D Major (Lisa Lee)
1992 Romeo and Juliet
1993 Piano Concerto No. 1 (David Park)
1997 Symphony No. 6 “Páthetique”
1998 Rococo Variations (Gilbert Hwang)
2000 Capriccio Italien
2005 Violin Concerto in D Major (Justin Ho)
2010 Violin Concerto in D Major (Stella Chen)
2011 Piano Concerto No. 1 (Rieko Tsuchida)
2011 1812 Overture
2017 Serenade for Strings (1st mvt only)
2017 Violin Concerto (3rd mvt) (Elvin Hsieh)
2021 Souvenir de Florence (4th mvt only)
2024 Violin Concerto 2st mvt (Jenna Kang)
Every year: selections from The Nutcracker (Holiday Concert)
TCHAIKOVSKY WORKS PERFORMED BY THE AO:
Marche Slave
Capriccio Italien
Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
Fatum (“Fate”)
Sleeping Beauty Suite
Symphony No. 4 Finale
Rococo Variations (Ethan Chen)
Serenade for Strings (last mvt.)
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