Undoubtedly, String Quartet in B flat major was intended to be part of a multipartite composition, but that never happened. For this string quartet, Tchaikovski used a gardener’s song, which can also be heard in his Scherzo à la Russe for piano. String Quartet No. 2 in F major, opus 22, is a fine example of the way he combined opera and ballet elements with Russian melodies and the classical quartet structures. In 1878, Tchaikovski composed 24 simple pieces à la Schumann for piano, inspired by Schumann’s Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood). Rostislav Dubinsky, first violinist at the Borodin Quartet, arranged a number of these pieces for strings.
Pjotr Iljitsj Tchaikovski – String Quartet part in B flat major (TH110) (1865)
- Adagio misterioso—Allegro con moto
Performed by: Quatuor Danel
CD: CPO
Pjotr Iljitsj Tchaikovski – String Quartet No. 2 in F major, opus 22 (1874)
- Adagio. Moderato assai, 2. Scherzo. Allegro giusto, 3. Andante ma non tanto, 4. Finale. Allegro con moto
Performed by: Quatuor Danel
CD: CPO
Pjotr Iljitsj Tchaikovski – Children’s Album, opus 39 (1878)
Arranged for string quartet by Rostislav Dubinsky
- Morning Prayer, 6. The Sick Doll, 7. The Doll’s Funeral, 9. The New Doll, 13. Kamarinskaya
Performed by: Rolston String Quartet
CD: Fuga Libera