Souvenir d'un lieu cher

This collection of short pieces for violin and piano was composed by Tchaikovsky in 1878. It consists of three pieces: the first, „Meditation“, which develops dramatically despite its melancholy and pain; the second, „Scherzo“, which strikingly contrasts fast, intense sections with a relaxed, song-like middle section; and the third, „Melody“, which exudes an air of loneliness in its gentle, beautiful melody. This masterpiece displays Tchaikovsky's characteristic melodic beauty.
The first piece was originally conceived as the second movement of a violin concerto, but was rejected by Tchaikovsky as too short. A revised version of this work was reborn as „Meditation“, and new „Scherzo“and „Melody“pieces were composed around it, completing the entire „Memories of a Dear Country“. Glazunov's version with orchestral accompaniment is also widely known.
This version contains suggestive bowing and fingering instructions by Tsugio Tokunaga, one of Japan's most renowned violinists.