Andre Tchaikowsky Website

This website contains a massive amount of material regarding the life, career, and compositions of André Tchaikowsky, a Polish-born musician who died in 1982 and famously bequeathed his skull to the Royal Shakespeare Company for use in Hamlet (and they accepted). This website represents the life work of David Ferré, who spent 35 years amassing this valuable archive. David passed away in 2020 and we are now seeking a qualified person or institution to continue the guardianship of this website.

I'm Robert, David's brother. In his memory, I am attempting to keep this web page current until such time as we hand it off to someone else. Please inform me of relevant events or information that should be included herein. robert@robertferre (dot com).

CONCERTO CLASSICO

On February 5, 2021, the world premier of André Tchaikowsky's Concerto Classico for violin and orchestra was performed in Warsaw by the National Philharmonic Orchestra. HERE IS MY REVIEW.

Listen to the concert using this link to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4KwUBlB06Q

In February, 2023, conductor Andrey Boreyko (Andrzej Boreyko) again led a performance of Concerto Classico, this time in Berlin. Currently it can be viewed on You Tube at this link:

https://youtu.be/UFb6VbdOQaE

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Peter Sarkar sent the following links regarding a lecture recital featuring André's work by musica reanimata, also in Berlin.

https://www.konzerthaus.de/en/programm/musica-reanimata-gesprachskonzert/8610

https://musica-reanimata.de/en/0040/preview.html

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"I think André Tchaikowsky is one of the finest pianists of his generation -- he is even better than that -- he is a wonderful musician."
Arthur Rubinstein, pianist

"I've known most of the really good and great musicians of my generation. He was the best musician of them all."
Stephen Kovacevich, pianist

"André had magic about him and the extraordinary rare ability to dust this magic onto everybody."
Judy Arnold, former personal representative

"If he had been a different character, he could have had a very, very major career."
Terry Harrison, former manager

"It's a great pity that as a legacy he left very few things behind."
Peter Frankl, pianist

Welcome
This website is a product of the many friends, family, and admirers of the pianist and composer, André Tchaikowsky (1935 - 1982). (In Poland, Andrzej Czajkowski.) Here you can read about his life using the Biography link, find out more about André as Composer and Pianist, and learn about his Recordings for RCA and Columbia.

An extensive Photographs section covers André from his first known photograph to his last, while the Miscellaneous provides items such as a BCC program dedicated to his memory, A Study in Contrasts, hosted by pianist David Owen Norris, and the complete story of André's gift of his skull to the Royal Shakespeare Company for use in Hamlet.

We are always seeking your André recollections, any André memorabilia that you wish to share, and your own thoughts about André as composer and pianist. Use the Contribute link.

John Amis asks André Tchaikowsky if he is related to the great Russian composer:

Click for mp3 file: areyourelated.mp3

André Tchaikowsky in 1959 (age 24) (Photo: Sabine Weiss)

André Tchaikowsky in 1975

KARLSKRONA INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL

The 2022 Karlskrona International Piano Festival in Karlskrona, Sweden (October 13-16), memorialized David Ferré, founder of this website, and André Tchaikowsky, to whom this site is dedicated. Events took place in the concert hall and also the very picturesque performance space at the Marine Museum, with glass walls looking out over the channel and passing ships. André Tchaikowsky pieces performed included:

Inventions (piano)
Performed by Jack Campbell (UK)

Trio Notturno
Performed by Peter Jablonski, piano, Per Nystrom, cellist, Brusk Kanganeh, violin (All Sweden)

There were other noteworthy moments in the festival. Prelude for David, composed by Calin Huma (UK) and commissioned by Robert Ferré specifically for this event was performed by Jack Campbell.

The feature length documentary Rebel of the Keys about André Tchaikowsky was presented by impresario Dr. Anastasia Belina, who was a consultant for and appears in the film. She is also co-director of the festival and manager for her husband, concert pianist Peter Jablonski.

For what was likely the first time ever in a performance, Trio Notturno was followed back-to-back by a piano trio written by the more well-known Peter Tchaikowsky (no relation). The program presented the piece as follows: Piotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), Piano Trio A Moll,A la memoire d'un grand artiste. Very relevant and a major artistic tour de force.

I have put more information on my private website. For the program at Karlskrona and my review of the festival, see: https://www.robertferre.com/andre-tchaikowsky

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If you have information about other performances of André Tchaikowsky's compositions and would like to post a review here, please contact me (Robert).