Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Works for Cello & Orchestra (Gabriel Schwabe; Christopher Ward)

Information

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

1. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Moderato assai quasi andante - Thema. Moderato semplice
2. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 1, Tempo della thema
3. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 2, Tempo della thema - Cadenza
4. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 3, Andante
5. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 4, Allegro vivo
6. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 5, Andante grazioso
7. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 6, Allegro moderato
8. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 7, Andante sostenuto
9. Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, TH 57: Var. 8 and Coda. Allegro moderato con anima
10. Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62, TH 62
11. 6 Pieces, Op. 19, TH 133: No. 4, Nocturne. Andante sentimentale
12. Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, TH 59: II. Canzonetta. Andante (arr. Gabriel Schwabe)
13. 6 Pieces, Op. 51, TH 143: No. 6, Valse sentimentale. Tempo di Valse (arr. Gabriel Schwabe)
14. Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, TH 42

Gabriel Schwabe, cello

Sinfonieorchester Aachen

Christopher Ward, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Naxos

_____________________

This recording presents Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s works with a focus on restoring his original intentions, particularly in response to historical alterations made by performers. The Variations on a Rococo Theme, originally written for cellist Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, is performed in its authentic order, countering Fitzenhagen’s well-known restructuring. Likewise, the Pezzo capriccioso, dedicated to Anatoly Brandukov, is presented without later editorial changes. Cellist Gabriel Schwabe contributes his own arrangements of the Canzonetta from the Violin Concerto and the Valse sentimentale, while the program concludes with a rarely recorded second version of Romeo and Juliet, offering a fresh perspective on Tchaikovsky’s compositional evolution and orchestral imagination.

Gabriel Schwabe (born 1988) is an award-winning cellist and professor known for his distinguished international career as both soloist and chamber musician. A laureate of major competitions including the Grand Prix Emanuel Feuermann in Berlin, the Rostropovich Competition in Paris, and the Pierre Fournier Award in London, he has performed with leading orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under conductors including Marek Janowski, Cornelius Meister, and Joana Mallwitz. A frequent guest at major festivals such as the Kronberg Academy Festival and Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Schwabe also collaborates widely with leading artists including Isabelle Faust, Christian Tetzlaff, and Kirill Gerstein. Trained in Berlin and at the Kronberg Academy, with further artistic influence from figures such as János Starker and Frans Helmerson, he currently serves as professor at the Musikhochschule Lübeck and performs on a 1695 Giuseppe Guarneri cello.

High Resolution 24-bit / 48 kHz