Pezzo capriccioso

Despite some rapid passages and a turn to the major key, Tchaikovsky preserves the basic pulse and sober mood throughout the piece.

After a brief remission, he had been taken to Aachen, Germany, where his family hoped the mineral waters there would prolong his life at least a few months.

Moreover, he proved a highly unpredictable, volatile and demanding patient, which unnerved the already death-shy Tchaikovsky (Kondratyev died in Aachen on October 3[1].).

The first performance of the orchestral version was given by Brandukov in Moscow at a special concert of the Russian Musical Society on November 25, 1889.

P. Jurgenson published the Pezzo capriccioso in 1888—the orchestral parts in January, and the arrangement for cello with piano in March.