I've been playing around with two very different Tchaikovsky pieces, both of which I think work nicely on mandolin:
P.I. Tchaikovsky: Album for the Young/Children's Album (Op. 39, 1878)
18. Neapolitan Song
Arranged for mandolin and guitar by Esther Simon
This is an adaptation of this simple piano piece by Tchaikovsky for mandolin and guitar, which I got from the March 1951 issue of the BMG Magazine, available for download at:
https://classic-banjo.ning.com/page/bmg-magazines
This is a common beginner's piece for piano, usually played quite a bit faster than my mandolin recording. I'm not sure why, as the original tempo marking was "Comodo - gracioso". In any case, as it's a pastiche of Neapolitan mandolin serenades, it adapts very nicely, and sounds suitably ideomatic on mandolin.
Mid-Missouri M-0W mandolin
Vintage Viaten tenor guitar
P.I. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64, 1888
2nd Movement, Andante Cantabile
Arranged for five instruments by Peet du Toit (2001), published under Creative Commons CC BY 4.0. Available at:
https://musescore.com/user/19658656/scores/5711985
This is the famous horn solo from Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony, which I have adapted to a mandolin solo, with mandolin quartet accompaniment. The original is in D Major, Peet's brass quintet arrangement is in C major, but I have transposed to G major to fit the solo comfortably into the mandolin range.
Solo mandolin: 1921 Gibson Ajr
Mandolins 1&2: 1915 Luigi Embergher
Mandola in G: Mid-Missouri M-111
Mandocello: Suzuki MC-815
Martin
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