Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - The Snow Maiden (Stanislav Kochanovsky)

Information

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• The Snow Maiden, Op. 12 (Live, Hannover, 2026)

Sergey Radchenko, tenor

Bella Adamova, mezzo-soprano

Capella St. Crucis Hannover

NDR Radiophilharmonie

Stanislav Kochanovsky, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: NDR Radiophilharmonie

_____________________

Tchaikovsky held a deep personal affection for his incidental music to Alexander Ostrovsky’s drama The Snow Maiden, describing the 1873 commission as a favorite creation filled with springlike joy. Written early in his career alongside his first symphonies, the lavish production integrated drama, dance, and music, but proved short-lived due to immense staging costs. Although Rimsky-Korsakov later adapted the same story into a celebrated opera, much to Tchaikovsky’s bitter dismay, the original score remains a vibrant, underappreciated gem. Rich in evocative choral writing and colorful orchestration, The Snow Maiden vividly foreshadows Tchaikovsky's legendary future ballet masterpieces.

St. Petersburg–born conductor Stanislav Kochanovsky is acclaimed as one of today’s most brilliant conductors, celebrated for his expansive symphonic and operatic repertoire ranging from classic masterworks to rarely performed compositions. A graduate with honors from the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire, Kochanovsky previously served as Chief Conductor of the State Safonov Philharmonic and conducted extensively at the Mikhailovsky and Mariinsky Theatres. Appointed Chief Conductor of the NDR Radiophilharmonie starting in the 2024/25 season, he regularly collaborates with premier international ensembles, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, alongside world-renowned soloists, opera houses, and major summer festivals such as the Verbier Festival.

High Resolution 24-bit / 48 kHz