An arrangement of Scenes 5 and 12 from a projected stage-work on the life of Tchaikovsky. They are indentical in structure and draw on the set of Russian folk songs that Tchaikovsky arranged for piano-duet, albeit with a high level of distortion and adaptation.
The two scenes bear the following stage directions: Scene 5. Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saens dance the Grande Adage from their (improvised) ballet "Pygmalion and Galatea". Scene 12. A succession of black swans bring bottles of poison for Tchaikovsky to drink.
Both pieces were written for Marshall McGuire.