Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23: Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso (Excerpt)
2. Romeo and Juliet, fantasy-overture for orchestra in B minor (3 versions): Love Scene (excerpt)
3. Symphony No. 6 in B minor ('Pathétique'), Op. 74: Adagio - Allegro non troppo (Excerpt)
4. The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20: Scène (Act II)
5. The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20: Waltz (Act I)
6. The Swan Lake, ballet, Op. 20: Dance of the Little Swans
7. Souvenir de Florence, for string sextet or string orchestra in D major, Op. 70: Adagio cantabile e con moto
8. Souvenir d'un lieu cher, for violin & piano (or orchestra), Op. 42: Mélodie
9. The Seasons, for piano, Op. 37: June (Barcarolle)
10. Eugene Onegin, opera, Op. 24: Waltz
11. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23: Andantino semplice
12. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Pas d'action (Adagio)
13. The Sleeping Beauty, ballet, Op. 66: Waltz
14. Slavonic March, for orchestra, Op. 31

Disc 2:

1. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35: Allegro moderato (Excerpt)
2. Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64: Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza
3. Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71: Overture
4. Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71: Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy
5. Serenade for strings (or piano, 4 hands) in C major, Op. 48: Waltz
6. String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11: Andante Cantabile
7. Eugene Onegin, opera, Op. 24: Polonaise
8. Capriccio Italien, for orchestra (or piano, 4 hands), Op. 45: Excerpt
9. Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36: Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato, allegro
10. Elegy, for string orchestra in G major ('In Memory of Ivan Samarin')
11. None but the lonely heart, song for voice & piano, Op. 6/6
12. Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, for chorus, Op. 41: Otche nash (The Lord's Prayer)
13. Valse sentimentale, for piano (or violin & piano) in F minor, Op. 51/6
14. Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71: Dance of the Reed Pipes (Mirlitons)
15. Nutcracker, ballet, Op. 71: Waltz of the Flowers
16. 1812 -- Festival Overture, for orchestra in E flat major, Op. 49: Conclusion

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13916 in Music
• Released on: 2002-03-12
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Customer Reviews

Cannot imagine a better compilation
To me this is the best possible way to present Tchaikovsky in just 2 discs. Usually I hate it when a piece, like his Piano Concerto #1, is broken up, as you hear two movements of it in different places on disc 1. But in this package, the selections meld seemlessly, almost as if they were written to be played in this sequence.
All his great music is here, including March Slave which of course is a great way to close CD 1, and the best from his ballets, for which he is most famous. Let's face it only a hard-core would sit and listen to an entire ballet. A few excellent slices from his symphonies and tone-poems as well, especially the exquisit Andante Cantabile.
If you are on a budget like me, or just want to start learning about this eccentric genius, get this package. The next albums to purchase might be Symphony #4 or a set of short suites from his ballets.

Best of the best
There's something for every Tchaikovsky lover on this disc. From Swan Lake to Onegin, many of Tchaikovsky's most-known melodies are on this disc. I'd have preferred more than an excerpt of the first movement of Piano Concerto No. 1, but this disc is a great introduction to Tchaikovsky's works.