Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Andante cantabile (arr. cello) from String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11

For me, a piece of melting beauty, and I'm in good company: Leo Tolstoy wept upon first hearing this.

I did too.

And what a performance here by cellist Mischa Maisky, who swims deep in these romantic waters.

"The melancholic Andante cantabile movement [of the String Quartet No. 1] which has become famous in its own right, was based on a folk song the composer heard at his sister's house at Kamenka 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. “…Tolstoy, sitting next to me and listening to the Andante of my First Quartet, burst into tears"

When the Zoellner Quartet, at her request, performed the second movement for Helen Keller, who rested her fingertips on a resonant tabletop to sense the vibrations, she, too, reacted strongly.

Since the time of the composer, the Andante cantabile movement has frequently been performed in arrangements for string orchestra. The melody from the 2nd theme of the Andante cantabile, in D-flat major, was also used as the basis for the popular song "On the Isle of May", popularized by Connee Boswell in 1940." Courtesy of Wikipedia.

I took these photos in various parts of the Peak District National Park, Derbyshire, England.
Cello: Mischa Maisky
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
A DG recording (C) 1996?

Видео Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Andante cantabile (arr. cello) from String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 канала AntPDC