Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky

Andante Cantabile

The String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Opus 11, was the first of Tschaikowsky's three string quartets. It was premiered in Moscow in 1871. The second movement from this quartet is the melancholic "Andante Cantabile", which has become famous in its own right. It was based on a folk song the composer heard whistled by a house painter. When the quartet was performed at a tribute concert for Leo Tolstoy, the author was said to have been brought to tears by this movement. Like most composers, Tschaikowsky often arranged or reworked earlier compositions and so he did with the "Andante Cantabile" in an arrangement for cello and string orchestra. In this transcription the string orchestra is arranged for a Wind Ensemble.