Great Composers in Words & Music: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky – Nicholas Boulton, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky & Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Introduction

Nicholas Boulton

0:09

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Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II: By a Lake: The swans swim on the lake (Excerpt)

Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra & Michael Halasz

1:18

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Can there be music more instantly recognisable, more wildly popular, more beautifully scored?…

Nicholas Boulton

6:45

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Marche slave, Op. 31 (Excerpt)

Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra & Stephen Gunzenhauser

0:53

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We heard an extract from Tchaikovsky's 1876 orchestral piece Marche slave…

Nicholas Boulton

4:21

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Don Giovanni, K. 527, Act II Scene 6: Aria. Vedrai, carino (Excerpt)

Ildikó Raimondi, Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia, Michael Halasz & Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1:12

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Tchaikovsky's arrival at the preparatory school in St Petersburg…

Nicholas Boulton

4:56

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My Genius, My Angel, My Friend

Ljuba Orfenova

1:54

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Tchaikovsky graduated from the School of Jurisprudence on 25 May 1859…

Nicholas Boulton

6:45

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Groza, Op. 76 (Excerpt)

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Antoni Wit

2:02

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On graduation at the end of 1865, Tchaikovsky was offered the role of music theory teacher at the soon-to-open Moscow Conservatory…

Nicholas Boulton

5:41

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Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 17 "Little Russian": I. Andante sostenuto - Allegro vivo (Excerpt)

German Radio Saarbrücken-Kaiserslautern Philharmonic Orchestra & Christoph Poppen

1:35

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Around this time, the early 1870s, Tchaikovsky enjoyed some success as an aspiring composer…

Nicholas Boulton

4:28

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Oprichnik, Act I: Pochudilis' mne budito golosa i shum shagov (Excerpt)

Elena Lassoskaya, Cagliari Theatre Orchestra & Gennady Rozhdestvensky

1:23

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Towards the end of 1874, the same year in which The Oprichnik premiered…

Nicholas Boulton

2:53

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Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito (Excerpt)

Bernd Glemser, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Antoni Wit

2:39

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The mid-1870s witnessed the further development of Tchaikovsky's career…

Nicholas Boulton

5:03

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Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36: I. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima (Excerpt)

Colorado Symphony Orchestra & Marin Alsop

1:08

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In the years that followed his ill-fated marriage, Tchaikovsky became reclusive…

Nicholas Boulton

1:11

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1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49 (Excerpt)

Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra & Theodore Kuchar

1:31

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In the mid-1880s, Tchaikovsky decided to return to the Moscow region and settle down…

Nicholas Boulton

2:56

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Suite No. 4 in G Major, Op. 61 "Mozartiana": III. Preghiera. Andante non tanto (Excerpt)

Ireland National Symphony Orchestra & Stefan Sanderling

1:24

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In the final years of Tchaikovsky's life, his compositional pace seemed to increase…

Nicholas Boulton

1:38

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The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act I: Valse (Excerpt)

Andrew Mogrelia

1:11

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A second example from the ballet illustrates Tchaikovsky's characteristically atmospheric musical style…

Nicholas Boulton

0:43

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The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act II: Panorama (Excerpt)

Andrew Mogrelia

1:25

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Tchaikovsky's third and final ballet, The Nutcracker, was premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre on 18 December 1892…

Nicholas Boulton

1:21

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The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act II Tableau 3: Coda

Russian National Orchestra & Mikhail Pletnev

1:19

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Although the Tsar, present at the final dress rehearsal…

Nicholas Boulton

4:19

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Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathétique": IV. Finale. Adagio lamentoso (Excerpt)

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra & Antoni Wit

1:53