Donald Macleod explores Tchaikovsky’s life away from home. He spent significant parts of his peak years travelling or staying with friends, and a remarkable amount of his music was composed whilst staying with friends, on holiday or concert tours, or sometimes as a fugitive on the run. This evolved into a full decade of rootless wandering, which is peculiar given his frequent homesickness for Russia.

Music Featured:

Overture in C MinorSymphony No 1 in G Minor, Op 13, "Winter Daydreams"Cherevichki, Op 4Symphony No 2 in C Minor, Op 17, "Little Russian"Piano Concerto No 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op 23Eugene Onegin, Act III Scene 2, Onegin! Ya togda molozheSwan Lake, Avt IV (excerpt)Symphony No 4 in F Minor, Op 36Suite No 1 in D Major, Op 436 Romances, Op 38, No 6, Pimpinella (arr. E. Firsova)The Maid of Orleans, Op 4, Act I, Aria: Da, chas nastal - Ja, es ist Zeit … Lebt wohl, ihr BergeCapriccio Italien, Op 45Mazeppa: Act II, Scene 2, O, Mariya, Mariya! (Mazepa)Vesper Service, Op 52Les saisons (The Seasons), Op 37aFantaisie de Concert in G Major, Op 56Piano Trio in A Minor, Op 50Suite No 4 in G Major "Mozartiana" Op 61 Manfred Symphony, Op 5Symphony No 5 in E Minor, Op 64The Queen of Spades (Pique Dame), Op 68: Act I Scene1 (excerpt)String Sextet in D, Souvenir de Florence, Op 70The Nutcracker, Op 71: Act II Tableau 3: Dance of the Sugar-Plum FairySymphony No 6 in B Minor, "Pathétique" Op 74

Presented by Donald MacleodProduced by Iain Chambers for BBC Audio Wales & West

For full track listings, including artist and recording details, and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after broadcast) head to the series page for Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ftlt

And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the Week here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z