Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

Naxos artist Gabriel Schwabe and conductor Christopher Ward share their excitement about their new recording of Tchaikovsky’s cello works, featuring the Rococo Variations. In this vivid programme of Variations on a Rococo Theme and Pezzo capriccioso, the composer’s original intentions are restored after decades of altered editions.

Tchaikovsky wrote the Rococo Variations quickly, and Fitzenhagen gave the premiere in Moscow on 30 November 1877. The Rococo theme is by Tchaikovsky himself, though it was consciously written in the style of his beloved Mozart, with a classical orchestration featuring strings, winds, and horns. The cello theme showcases Romantic qualities, particularly in the Andante of the third variation, with flowing triplets in the first and a discussion of the motif in the second.

The album concludes with the rarely heard second version of the Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture, highlighting Schwabe’s rich tone and confident dialogue with the orchestra, performed by the Sinfonieorchester Aachen under Ward's direction.

Discover now: Naxos.lnk.to/8574741ID
youtube.com/watch?v=zZIkspURcYI

00:00 Introduction
00:27 Tchaikovsky’s connection to Aachen
00:36 Album programme overview
00:45 The Rococo Variations and the controversy over the version performed
01:47 Fitzenhagen’s alterations and how the familiar version came about
03:33 Why the original version matters
05:17 The piece’s success and Tchaikovsky in Aachen
06:52 Tchaikovsky’s love of Mozart and its influence on the sound world
07:01 About Pezzo capriccioso
08:16 Comparing the pieces
12:35 Three shorter Tchaikovsky pieces in the programme
12:42 Nocturne and its origins as a piano piece
13:22 Valse sentimentale and the new string-orchestra arrangement
15:03 A personal arrangement: Violin Concerto's slow movement
16:52 Why the programme works together
17:01 Romeo and Juliet, second version
17:34 Conclusion

***

Listen to Naxos playlists:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/user/naxosofficial
Apple Music: apple.co/2LPfG8G

Follow us:
Facebook: facebook.com/Naxos
Instagram: instagram.com/naxosmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/Naxosrecords
Naxos Blog: blog.naxos.com
Website: naxos.com