Tchaikovsky: String Quartets Nos. 1-3 and “Souvenir de Florence”
Tchaikovsky:
- String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11
- String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22
- String Quartet No. 3 in E flat minor, Op. 30
- Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70
– With Genrikh Talalyan (violin 2), Mstislav Rostropovich (cello 2) Performed by the Borodin Quartet (Original Members)
Includes the following founding members: Rostislav Dubinsky and Yaroslav Alexandrov, violin, and Valtin Berlinsky, cello.
Mstislav Rostropovich (the original cellist), performs in Souvenir de Florence.
Tchaikovsky composed very intimate music in his chamber music. His D Major Quartet (String Quartet No. 1) came to be known as the “Accordion” quartet, because the opening theme of the first movement is highlighted by rising and falling chords.
The second of the three string quartets features irregular rhythms and fugal-style writing. This quartet has become Tchaikovsky’s most popular of the three quartets.
The third quartet was written in 1876 and was dedicated to Ferdinand Laub, who had been a champion of the composer for many years.
Here is a wonderful performance of the Tchaikovsky String Quartet No.1 in D – Movement 2 (Andante cantabile) – as performed by the Borodin Quartet
And now here’s the String Quartet No.3 Op.30 in E flat minor, 1876 I. Andante sostenuto – Allegro moderato, as performed by the Borodin Quartet
