Tchaikovsky: The Masterworks

With the famous Symphony No. 6, this album contains a lesser-known part of Tchaikovsky's repertoire - the Sérenade mélancolique, with the extraordinary Leonid Kogan playing the solo violin - the Variations Rococo, with Danil Shafran playing the cello and especially the Suite No. 3 for Orchestra, a composition wrongly forgotten by the common discography of the Russian composer. This release is a tribute to one of the biggest Russian conductors of the 20th century, gathered at the top of his career.

Tchaikovsky: The Great Symphonies

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Originally released in 1973, this album has been digitally remastered for re release. This album features the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Leopold Stokowski, and contains Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, Caprioccio Italien, and From Eugene Onegin, Op. 24. Leopold Stokowski enjoyed a sixty year conducting career, and became well known for his appearance in the 1940 Disney film Fantasia.

Lissovsky/Krivchenya/Trotsky/Fedoseyev/Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra.

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"One of the most talented and refined violinists of his generation.”
- Yehudi Menuhin (describing the violin artistry of Sasha Rozhdestvensky)

“He belongs to the great line of outstanding artists. His approach and relationship to music and the violin is intense, highly sensitive and intelligent”.
- Ivry Gitlis

With this release, Russian violinist Sasha Rozhdestvensky and Swiss pianist Josiane Marfurt offer the only available collection of Tchaikovsky’s music for violin and piano that can be considered truly complete. Rozhdestvensky’s playing is noted for its technical wizardry, gorgeous tone, and plenty of Russian soul. Emerging young pianist Marfurt is rapidly building a reputation as both a top-tier soloist and chamber artist. As regular chamber partners, they form an ideal Tchaikovsky team able to realize the composer’s distinctive melodic and harmonic beauty, lush sound and searing sentiment to perfection.

The original score to the composer’s transcription for violin and piano of his early song Oh! Chante Encore, Op. 16, No. 4, was long believed lost, until Rozhdestvensky discovered it recently at the National Library of France in Paris. This engaging work is offered here in its world premiere recording. - Based on notes from Delos

R E V I E W S

"...Tchaikovsky's penchant to write luxurious, soulful melodies is perhaps nowhere more evident than in his writing for the violin. His access to some of the finest violinists to ever emerge from Russia -- Leopold Auer and Adolph Brodsky -- certainly provided him with the inspiration and performance abilities necessary to develop his special relationship with the instrument. This Delos album highlights the complete works Tchaikovsky penned for violin and piano duo. It also includes the world-premiere recording of Oh! Chante Encore!, one of the composer's own transcriptions of his Op. 16 Six Songs that was long considered lost. Performing these rich, deeply Romantic works is violinist Sasha Rozhdestvensky joined by pianist Josiane Marfurt. Rozhdestvensky's playing is ideally suited for much of the music on this program. He excels at producing a velvety, sensual sound quality low in his instrument's register, and has a magnificently well-connected legato sound. When Tchaikovsky calls for playing higher on the violin's E string, Rozhdestvensky's sound occasionally becomes forced and strained..."

- Mike D. Brownell, All Music Guide

After Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Prokofiev, Vadym Kholodenko continues his exploration of the Russian repertory with a pair of rarely recorded works: Tchaikovsky's two solo piano sonatas. Imaginative, colorful and dreamy, capable of an infinite range of emotions, he reveals both the masterly architecture and the subtleties of the writing that are often sacrificed to mere demonstration of virtuosity.

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Richter given first-class modern digital sound, and on top technical form... playing of consistent poetry... charming nostalgia... first recommendation for Tchaikovsky's piano music(� Penguin Guide 3*) "breathtaking, inspiring artistry" (Gramophone)

Tchaikovsky wrote the Children's Album and the Op.37 Sonata at the same time, and they're so different. It amazes me that these are so little known in UK. The Children's Album is fantastic - a masterpiece. He wrote three volumes of piano music, and what of it is known here?... The trouble is, Tchaikovsky is almost always played badly! There are two wrong ways: the Russian wrong way and the Western wrong way. Most Russians make a rough sound, full of violent emotions, heart on the sleeve. Westerners often have a refinement that the Russians lack, and which is an important part of Tchaikovsky too, but it has no power. (Mikhail Pletnev).

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