Pieces (2) for piano, Op. 1

• Date: 1867
• Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Period: Romantic (1820-1869)

Review

Tchaikovsky's first published pieces affect a bravura style uncharacteristic of his more mature little piano solos. The Scherzo à la russe, originally called simply Capriccio, employs a Ukrainian tune that the composer had already arranged for chorus and worked into his student String Quartet in B flat. The Scherzo is in ABA form, the outer sections swaggering through dotted rhythms in 2/4 time, with the mid-section in 3/4 offering some quiet contrast. The third section is not a literal repeat of the first; Tchaikovsky breaks off from bravado with six adagio bars before racing through the final pages. The second selection, Impromptu, is a hard-driving piece in 3/4; in fact, it's marked Allegro furioso. The pounding triplets eventually make way for a mellifluous Andante molto espressivo melody with an ostinato accompaniment. After a bit of recitative and some little flourishes, the furioso material returns, only to relinquish the final bars to slower, more quiet music. ~ James Reel, Rovi

Albums with Complete Performances of the Work

Title	Date
Tchaikovsky: Complete Piano Music Vol. 2 - Early Pieces
Tchaikovsky: Complete Piano Works
Tchaikovsky: Complete Piano Works	2008
Tchaikovsky: Complete Piano Works
Tchaikovsky: Early Piano Pieces
The 99 Most Essential Tchaikovsky Masterpieces [Amazon Exclusive]

Albums with Excerpt Performances of the Work

Title	Date
Golden Piano [Collector's Edition] [Box Set]	2008
Golden Piano, Vol. 2	2008
Great Piano Transcriptions
Inna Heifetz: Tchaikovsky/Rachmaninov/Scriabin/Prokofiev
Tchaikovsky: Rêverie	1999
Tchaikovsky: Solo Piano Music, Vol. 2 (Complete)/Violin Concerto, Op. 35	1993
The Virtuosity of Earl Wild	1999
The World's Greatest Composers: Tchaikovsky [Collector's Edition Music Tin]	2008
The World's Greatest Composers: Tchaikovsky [Collector's Edition]	2008

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