Favourite Ballet Classics I: For Piano/Fur Klavier/Pour Piano

by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Steps wonderfully balanced on tiptoes, breathtaking leaps and pirouettes, splendor and passion--these characteristics have long gripped lovers of classical ballet. It is certainly no coincidence that some of the most popular Romantic works are found in the realm of ballet music. This volume presents extracts from Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty arranged for piano, evoking notable ballet performances in memory.

Paperback

First published October 28, 1999

About the author

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Петр Ильич Чайковский) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. While not part of the nationalistic music group known as "The Five", Tchaikovsky wrote music which was distinctly Russian: plangent, introspective, with modally-inflected melody and harmony.

Tchaikovsky considered himself a professional composer. He felt his professionalism in combining skill and high standards in his musical works separated him from his colleagues in "The Five." He shared several of their ideals, including an emphasis on national character in music. His aim, however, was linking those ideals with a professional standard high enough to satisfy European criteria. His professionalism also fueled his desire to reach a broad public, not just nationally but internationally, which he would eventually do.