Pyotr Tchaikovsky - 3 Pieces, Op. 9

"Far more than the other piano pieces Tchaikovsky had written during the past three years, these items seem designed for the amateur salon rather than the concert hall. Yet, ironically, the first and third pieces were premiered during a public concert, the first all-Tchaikovsky evening. The set begins with a Reverie in 3/4 time. It seems freely improvisatory, beginning with a gentle Andante, then wandering into a faster, florid, cadenza-like section. After a reprise of the opening material the cadenza returns at greater length, leading back to the Andante and its dying-away conclusion.

The second piece is a hearty Polka de Salon in B-flat; the frolicsome main matter briefly cedes to a series of runs, and this interlude infects the reprise of the first section with grander, highly pianistic touches, including a blitz of double octaves at the end. The third item is a D-minor Mazurka de Salon, obviously inspired by Chopin. The hesitant yet irresistible main theme sandwiches a more vigorous and even more folklike B section. The whole piece has enjoyed many transcriptions, sometimes under the spurious title 'Valse Créole'."

—James Reel


Date: 1870
Catalogue: Op. 9, Tchaikovsky Handbook 131
Order and Dedicatees:
No. 1 - Rêverie in D Major (for Nadezhda Muromtseva): 0:08
No. 2 - Polka de Salon in B-flat Major (for Alexandra Zograf-Dulova): 7:04
No. 3 - Mazurka de Salon in D Minor (for Alexandre Dubuque): 9:56

Performer: Franco Trabucco on piano


Note: This channel does not own the score or audio, and they are only used for non-commercial purposes. This video is a reupload from Thomas van Dun, who withdrew all score videos of pieces not composed by himself.

Original Uploader’s Channel:    / thomasvandun