Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky

Souvenir de Florence (Op. 70)

Souvenir de Florence, a romantic masterwork full of virtuosity and melodic invention, was originally composed in 1890 as a string sextet, dedicated to the Saint Petersburg Chamber Society. Tchaikovsky wrote of the piece that he was "in essence, composing for the orchestra, and only then arranging it for six strings." This arrangement, by Lucas Drew, is a string orchestra transcription that adds a Double Bass part to the original six voices. The ebullient first movement, Allegro con spirito, develops an exciting and memorable Florentine theme. The second movement, Adagio cantabile e con moto, showcases the composer's graceful melodic writing. The third movement is a light balletic scherzo and is followed by the passionate final movement, which incorporates traditional Slavic folk dances. String count: 8-8-3.3-3.3-5 in set.