
The lost decade 1878-1888 (Part 2)
Donald Macleod explores Tchaikovsky’s life away from home. He spent significant parts of his peak years travelling or staying with friends, writing the works we celebrate today
Donald Macleod explores Tchaikovsky’s life away from home. He spent significant parts of his peak years travelling or staying with friends, and a remarkable amount of his music was composed whilst staying with friends, on holiday or concert tours, or sometimes as a fugitive on the run. This evolved into a full decade of rootless wandering, which is peculiar given his frequent homesickness for Russia.
Today, we look at the second half of the so-called Lost Decade of Tchaikovsky’s life. We find the composer no longer travelling so far and wide across Europe, but largely back in Russia, though still not settling down…
Les saisons (The Seasons), Op 37a:
VIII. August: The Harvest
Ilya Rashkovskiy, piano
Fantaisie de Concert in G Major, Op 56:
I. Quasi rondo
Bernd Glemser, piano
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Antoni Wit, conductor
Piano Trio in A Minor, Op 50:
II B. Variazione Finale e Coda: Allegro risoluto e con fuoco - Andante con moto - Lugubre
Bekova Sisters
Suite No 4 in G Major, Op 61, "Mozartiana":
II. Menuet
III. Preghiera
Swiss Romande Orchestra
Ernest Ansermet, conductor
Manfred Symphony, Op 58:
II. Vivace con spirito
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ondrej Lenárd, conductor
Produced by Iain Chamber for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Audio Wales & West
On radio
Broadcast
- Thursday 16:00ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 3
Beethoven Unleashed – the box set
What was really wrong with Beethoven?
Composers A to Z
Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week
Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem
What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?
A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...
The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.
Composer Help Page
Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.