Symphony No. 7 in E-flat, Op. Posth. [arrangement from incomplete fragments]

Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) began work on a Symphony in E-flat after the completion of his fifth. Intending his sketches to become his sixth symphony, the composer abandoned the work as too impersonal, turning to new ideas for his actual sixth symphony. Convinced by others that sketches had merit, Tchaikovsky decided to re-score the music as a piano concerto, reusing the first movement for the single-movement Piano Concerto No. 3. The other two movements from the sketches were reworked for piano and orchestra by Sergei Taneyev as the Andante and Finale, which was published posthumously in 1897. Between 1951 and 1955, Russian composer Semyon Bogatyrev began work to fully orchestrate the work as Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 7 in E-flat. This reconstruction premiered on February 7, 1957, by the Moscow Region Philharmonic Orchestra under Mikhail Terian. Instrumentation: 3(3rd dPicc).2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(2-3 players): Hp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).