String Quartets Vol. 2

Though Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky was a highly prolific and successful composer, he offered only six chamber works for publication. Three of these works are string quartets. This combination of instruments had long fascinated him, and before setting to work on his first complete score he had experimented with single quartet movements. Those early scores remained among his manuscripts until they were published later in life as Four Early Pieces. After much success with his first two quartets, the Third quickly gained popularity, the sombre mood of the opening and third movements giving way to a vigorous finale.