Variations on a Rococo Theme

"Music is not a deception, it is a revelation .... It reveals elements of beauty that cannot exist in any other realm and the contemplation of it reconciles us with life, not only temporarily, but forever. It illuminates and brings joy." These words from Tsjaikovski can be applied to the two works presented here. Tsjaikovski described his Suite Nr. 3 as the most successful of his works performed abroad and performed it successfully on numerous tours. For Dmitry Liss, chief conductor of the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, "this is one of Tsjaikovski's most unexpected works and my absolute favorite. If you look at the last part from a modern perspective, the hectic stylistic variation seems almost postmodern and it was created with subtle and stylish irony. The theme of the suite's finale coincides with that of the Rococo Variations, and therefore we decided to include both works in this program". Cellist Boris Andrianov, who plays the variations on this recording, considers it "a sacred duty for a Russian cellist, who is also the winner of the Tsjaikovski Competition, not only to record this work, but also to look at it with a fresh perspective."